A Dream When I'm Not Sleeping
by hollybaggins
Summary: It's the start of senior year and the gang are looking to their respective futures. A story that looks into the lives of our favourite East High students. Rated 'M' for mature scenes and language. T&G.
1. A Chad Chat

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_"A Dream When I'm Not Sleeping"_ © hollybaggins; September 30th 2007

**This is a derivate piece of fiction featuring characters copyrighted and trademarked by Disney Enterprises Inc. It is based upon _High School Musical,_ copyright 2006 by Walt Disney Enterprises Inc., all rights reserved; and _High School Musical 2_, copyright 2007 by Walt Disney Enterprises Inc., all rights reserved. The author is not connected with nor is this work authorised by Walt Disney Enterprises Inc., or any other motion picture studios. This work is solely intended for posting on Fanfiction, for the benefit and enjoyment of its intended audience. No commercial or financial benefit accrues or is intended to accrue to the author as a result of said posting. Any unauthorised copying or redistribution of this work might subject the party responsible for such unauthorized copying or redistribution to legal action by the owners of the aforementioned copyrights and trademarks.**

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Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing! In a perfect world, I would be receiving plenty of money for writing this, with Zac Efron sat on my lap ;) Unfortunately, this is not a perfect world. This fiction is rated 'M' for language, sexual situations and total Troy Bolton hotness (do not read if you can't handle the hotness!) If you are under 17, it is advised you do not read on. As for everyone else, enjoy! Reviews/constructive criticism welcome.

Holly xx

**ONE - A Chad Chat**

Troy Bolton locked his eyes on the basketball hoop directly in front of him; his mind completely focused on his goal. His fellow East High Wildcat team mates closed in around him; their attempts to tackle the ball from his grasp failing as he tricked them into thinking he would be dribbling left before heading to the right. Troy smiled inwardly as he heard his best friend Chad Danforth groan, "I _knew_ he'd do that!" before leaping into the air and effortlessly slam dunking the ball through the hoop.

From the centre of the outdoor practice basketball court, Troy heard his father and coach, Jack Bolton, clap his hands together loudly and blow his whistle. "Alright, Wildcats! Gather around!"

Troy wiped his sweaty forehead, out of breath and grinning to himself as the team circled around their coach, awaiting further instruction. Chad leaned forward, his hands resting on his knees as he struggled for breath.

"Sorry, Danforth; have I tired you out already?" Troy patted his friend's back as Chad heaved in another deep breath.

"Dude, you play like that at our next game, I will happily kiss your feet." Chad and Troy had been best friends since pre-school, both sharing the same love and devotion for basketball and both star school basketball players destined to play with the pro's. Troy had been voted captain of the Wildcats early last year, though the two friends often shared the status when playing in major tournaments against rival schools.

Jack Bolton clapped his hands together again as the team lined up. "We have our next game against West High in three weeks, and if they thought the championships last semester were tough, then they're going to fall apart at this next one! We are going to slaughter each and every one of them – reap in all the glory and take our status as champion's one step further!"

Chad's breath suddenly returned to him as he stepped forward towards Coach Bolton and began the team's infamous chant. "What team?"

"Wildcats!"

"What team?"

"Wildcats!"

"What team?"

"_Wildcats!"_

"Wildcats?"

"Get your head in the game!" High-fives were exchanged as the team cheered their successful practice session. It was the first day back at school and despite having time off for summer break; the team had played as though they had never been away.

"Great practice session, guys," Jack Bolton stated as the bell rang signalling the end of the school day. "Hit the showers and I'll see you tomorrow morning during free period in the gym." The majority of the team clapped and cheered as they jogged back towards the school whilst Troy and Chad continued to play on the now empty court. "Are you not coming home, Troy?" Jack asked his son as he shot yet another hoop.

"Nah, me and the guys are gonna stay here for a while," Troy replied as Zeke Baylor and Jason Cross joined in. "I'm meeting Gabriella after school." Jack grinned knowingly as he nodded his head in acknowledgement and followed the rest of the team back inside.

"You are on fire today, Bolton." Chad stated as Troy tackled the ball and dribbled it to the other side of the court, Zeke and Jason on his tail. The ball passed through the hoop and back into Troy's hands.

"And why shouldn't I be?" Troy passed the ball to Zeke who proceeded in practising on his own free throws.

"Dude, it's the first day back at school. It's the most depressing day of the year." The two boys collapsed on the grass at the sidelines of the court as Jason and Zeke continued practising. "Already, Darbus has it in her head that we're all going to sign up for the next musical. If Sharpay had kept her big mouth shut about the whole talent show fiasco at Lava Springs, then we'd have nothing to worry about."

Troy lay back tiredly on the grass, shielding his eyes from the bright sun which continued to grace Albuquerque's skies even though it was coming up to mid September. "I thought you enjoyed that show," was Troy's response. "In fact, you were more for it than I was."

"Troy, there is a difference between a show were we're all together having fun and a show that is run by Ms 'Twinkle Towne' Darbus. I could not handle being directed by that beast."

"She wasn't so bad." Troy yawned.

"Don't tell me you're thinking of signing up for the next musical," Chad sighed. "Because if you do, Gabriella will. And if Gabriella does then Taylor will. And if Taylor does…" he drifted off. "Let's just say that you don't meddle with female emotions. You do not want to travel into the unknown. If Taylor signs up and I refuse… let's just assume that I won't be seeing the nicey-nice side of my girlfriend for a long while."

Troy chuckled as Chad lay back on the grass beside him. Taylor and Chad had started dating just before Troy had finally plucked up the courage to ask Gabriella out – their relationship looked from the outside as one where they each tried to score points over which one was the more dominant. But on the inside, their friends saw a loving, caring side to them both; and they all found it funny when they caught the two being so romantic with each other when they thought no one else was looking.

"Actually, no, I'm not signing up this year. The last one was fun and everything but I really need to concentrate on my basketball this year. You know, it's not that long until graduation… and my scholarship depends on my skills-"

"Don't you dare think of turning back into Troy the Jerk." Chad sat back up and glared down at his friend.

"No, I'm not going to turn back into Troy the Jerk." Troy sighed as he sat back up and stretched his legs. "I know what's important in my life and I'm not going to turn my back on it again. I know I can concentrate on my future goals without pushing people away. Don't worry, dude, chill."

Chad narrowed his eyes, trying to read deeper into his friend's mind. During summer break, when the gang had worked at the Lava Springs Country Club, Troy had turned into someone Chad had not recognised. The tempting prospect of a scholarship had turned Troy into someone who had ditched his friends at any opportunity and even put off dates with Gabriella. Whilst everyone else could see that Sharpay Evans was only helping to push Troy's future forward for her own benefits, Troy didn't. After Gabriella had left him as a result of his behaviour and Chad and the other Wildcats refused to talk to him, Troy had finally seen sense and had turned back into the guy they all knew and loved.

"So…a basketball scholarship?" Chad questioned as Jason and Zeke continued to try and out-do the other with their ever-improving skills. "So I take it you're going to be applying to the University of Albuquerque?"

Troy nodded and chuckled as Jason groaned aloud in frustrated as Zeke tackled him yet again.

"And Gabriella?"

Troy looked back at his friend and shrugged his shoulders in dismay. "I always knew I'd be attending at Albuquerque. Dad's got contacts there who've seen me play and I've had all sorts of offers. But Gabi…" he drifted off with a sigh. "We haven't really talked about what happens after high school. Gabi's moved around so much that I guess it won't really make much difference to her where she goes. She just wants to make the most of what's happening right now."

"And…just what is happening right now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, don't act like that, Bolton; you two are crazy about each other." Chad slapped his friend's back. "Taylor and me – we know what we're doing after high school. I'm the same as you, man, I want to go to Albuquerque; and Taylor's gonna use that sharp brain of hers to try and get in there too. Or at least, somewhere local."

"So, you guys are getting serious then, huh?"

Chad shrugged, almost in shyness. It was only Troy – and of course, Taylor – who got to see the other side to Chad Danforth. "Well, yeah. I guess so. I mean, we don't know where it's gonna lead but we're looking to the future. As for you and Gabriella…hell, everyone can see you two are… how should I put it? _Ooh, soo in luuurrrveee_!" Chad's best high-pitched, girly tone did not impress his friends, who shot him a glare.

"Your point is?"

"My point is, it took you and Gabriella literally a lifetime to even admit that you liked each other. Then it seemed to take another lifetime to get your first kiss out of the way-"

"Only due to constant interruptions, Danforth, and you can point the blame to yourself for that."

"What I'm saying, Captain, is that this is the last year of school. After this, we're not going to be able to hang out like we do now. We'll be working towards the future, towards where we want to be in life. My point is that you guys need to get the next level of your relationship out of the way before we graduate because, like I said, we all know how into each other you are; and like you said, you have no idea what's going to happen to you both after high school."

As Troy began to take in his friend's words, he heard that oh so familiar voice creep up from behind him. Chad had already acknowledged the girls who were making their way towards the basketball court. Jason and Zeke stopped what they were doing whilst Chad stood up to greet his girlfriend as they finally approached them.

"Hey there, Wildcat." Gabriella cooed as she sat herself down beside her boyfriend of nine months. Kelsi Neilson and Martha Cox walked over to the court to greet Zeke and Jason whilst Taylor and Chad followed hand in hand. As Troy looked over to his girl, he smiled softly at her causing her to give off that cute, girly giggle.

Suddenly, he rolled his body over hers, causing Gabriella to lie flat on her back with Troy resting on top. "Miss me?" he questioned as he placed a kiss on the tip of her nose. Gabriella just smiled, knowing just what he would say next. "Of course you did," he grinned as he pressed his lips to hers. Gabriella chuckled into the kiss, loving the fact that they had their own little inside jokes. As the kiss deepened, she wrapped her arms around his neck… only to suddenly push him away.

"Troy…you're all sticky and sweaty." Gabriella scrunched her nose up as she attempted to push his body off hers.

Troy grinned devilishly, keeping his weight upon her body as she struggled against him. He grasped her hands in his own and entwined their fingers. "You love my sweat."

Gabriella began screaming with laughter as Troy proceeded in running his sweaty face and hair over her neck, chest and face. Her hands were pinned above her head and her legs were tangled in Troy's, making her struggles seem as though she was making no effort at all to get away. "You're so in for it, Wildcat," Gabriella chuckled as Troy stared down at her face.

He ran a finger slowly down her cheek, taking in every contour of her features. _God, she is so beautiful…_ "Nah, I don't think so. Besides, I think you need to shower. You're all… sticky and sweaty…" Troy scrunched his nose up then laughed as Gabriella smirked in mock hurt at his joke.

"Hey!" Chad called over from the court. "Bolton! Are you going to lie there all day getting soppy or are we going to play some basketball?"

Troy sighed aloud, giving Gabriella a look that told her that he was not amused at Chad's not-so-impressive ability of being able to interrupt at the worst times possible.

"You go play, Wildcat; we'll have plenty of time together later on." Gabriella pecked his lips one final time as they both sat up.

"And I got the perfect night planned. I'll take us both home, we can get changed…put on something really nice. Then we'll get into my new truck-"

"_Old_ new truck," Gabriella interrupted with a grin. Troy's truck had belonged to his father and wasn't the most reliable of vehicles. Jack and Troy had fixed it up together and as a result, Jack had passed the keys over to his son who had been so excited at finally owning his own set of wheels, had named it his new truck.

"Old new truck…" Troy re-phrased with a smile, grazing Gabriella's fingers with his own. "And then I thought I'd take you out on a romantic night… And that's all I'm telling you for now." Gabriella smiled as they both leaned in for another kiss…

"Bolton! Come on!" Chad called out again.

"Coming," Troy called back. "We're not busy or anything…"

Gabriella laughed as they began to walk towards the court. "Go get 'em, Wildcat," she smiled as Troy bounded onto the court and the four boys began playing two-against-two. Gabriella seated herself at the sidelines at the other side of the court with Martha, Kelsi and Taylor.

"What?" Gabriella raised her eyebrows, seeing the other three girls looking at her with smirks on their faces. She shook her head with a smirk of her own and watched as her man scored yet again.


	2. Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches

**TWO – Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches**

Gabriella Montez moaned into her boyfriend's mouth as his lips covered hers once again. She was absolutely amazed at the feelings that Troy was able to invoke in her – the simplest touch sent shivers down her spine and caused her stomach to spiral out of control. Gabriella focused on the way Troy's lips moved softly, slowly against her own; how he worshipped her lips, face and neck and drew invisible patterns with his fingertips up and down her arms. She loved nothing more than to lie in his arms, taking in his scent and warmth as he held her close.

She moaned again as her arms circled his neck in an attempt to pull him closer; if that action was even possible to achieve. The sun had already began to set over Albuquerque, but as the couple were lying in a dark, secluded part of the park surrounded by trees and bushes, it seemed a lot later than it actually was. When Troy finally pulled away from the heated kiss for air, Gabriella ran her fingers through his hair and began to drown in those brilliant blue eyes.

"Did you ever bring any of your ex-girlfriends here?" she suddenly enquired which made Troy cock his eyebrows into an expression that told her he was not particularly thrilled with her random topic of conversation.

"Way to ruin the romance, Gabi," he answered; his fingers becoming tangled in her ebony curls that had settled against her flushed cheeks.

Gabriella curled her hand around Troy's neck and slowly guided him back for another brief kiss. "Well? Did you?"

Troy sighed aloud and placed his forehead against her shoulder. "No. Not once."

"Why?"

"Why do you want to talk about my exes during a date?" He feigned hurt. "Especially after I went to all this trouble to organize it."

"And what trouble did you go to exactly, Mr. Bolton?" Gabriella's fingers began to run slowly down Troy's back, making him suck in air through his teeth.

"Well for a start I made you those fantastic, infamous peanut butter and jelly sandwiches you love so much…"

"Troy, all you _ever_ make are peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. So I have _no_ choice but to love them." Gabriella giggled as Troy pouted. She tenderly ran her fingertips down the side of his face and chuckled.

"Okay," he took her hand and placed a kiss on her palm. "But you're the only one who knows my secret hideout at school _and_ you're the only one who knows about this top-secret place in the park. And besides, you have to admit that no-one could make such excellent sandwiches like I do. Am I right?"

"It doesn't exactly take a rocket scientist to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!"

"Hey, those sandwiches are art, Miss Montez, and you know it! They're my natural talent; my signature dish! You can't teach perfection – even Zeke would kill for these sandwich-making skills!" At that comment, Gabriella scrunched up her nose and bit back a laugh as Troy's face suddenly went from cheery to serious in a split second. He then stood up and Gabriella suddenly felt the early evening's chilly breeze sweep over her as his warmth left. "I cannot believe you've just hit me right were it hurts!" He started to walk away from her as she stood up and began to walk after his retreating back.

"Nonsense!" Gabriella chuckled. "If I had hit you were it hurts, I would have poked fun and insulted you about your basketball skills."

Troy turned around and looked back at his girlfriend, making sure there was still some distance between them. "Such as?"

Gabriella shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Probably along the lines of you being way too overrated."

Troy's eyebrows shot up his forehead and his palms pressed to his chest dramatically. "My heart, Gabriella Montez. You've just broken it in two."

"Oh, no," Gabriella started to giggle as she bounded towards her boyfriend who then proceeded in running from her, shouting back the complete and utter hurt she had just mercilessly inflicted on him. "You know I didn't mean it!" she shouted as she ran after him barefoot; their mini picnic and shoes forgotten by the trees.

Gabriella could hear her boyfriend trying to keep his laughter to a minimum, which instantly set aside any brief worries she had that she had indeed hurt his feelings. Troy continued to jog away from her, but as he turned his upper body around to check on her progress, Gabriella stretched out her hands clung to his shoulders as she attempted to jump onto his back.

"Hey, no piggy-back ride today, meanie," Troy laughed as Gabriella attempted to jump again and let out an annoyed groan as Troy refused to grasp a hold of her legs that were trying to wind around his waist.

"But you know I didn't mean it," she moaned, trying another tactic as she tried to grasp his fingers in hers. Troy pulled away from her grasp, knowing that she was deliberately trying to weaken him with her caresses; a weapon she used quite frequently when she wanted something from him. Troy barely complained; he loved to soak in her kisses and feel her arms wind around him, latching onto him as though he were a lifeline. He began to back away from her again, holding his arms out to keep Gabriella at a safe distance from him. The mischief danced in her deep brown eyes as she tried to bat away his arms to get closer to him. "Troy Bolton, come here!"

Troy began to slow jog backwards, turning his head back every now and then to make sure he wasn't going to embarrass himself by walking into a tree or bush. "No, no," he laughed once more before turning his face serious. "You've ripped out my heart and trampled on it with no mercy what-so-ever. There's nothing you can do to make it up to me."

"Troooyyy…" Gabriella wined as she continued her attempts to bat his arms away. He could tell now that she was slowly getting tired of this game. "You know I was only joking so come here."

"Nope; not a chance." With that last comment, Gabriella suddenly lunged her body forward and leapt towards Troy's chest. As her hands made contact with his shoulders, Troy's legs gave out from underneath him as he struggled to balance himself with Gabriella abruptly attached to his body. In a split second, the loved-up couple were back on the grass and Troy landed on his back with an "Oaf!" whilst Gabriella giggled uncontrollably as she landed comfortably beside him. Troy watched her laugh with an amused glint in his eyes and he folded his arms over his chest as he watched her lean over him. "That hurt," he stated, watching her intently to see what she would do next.

A hand ran through his hair, brushing the tendrils from his forehead and Gabriella stared deep into those beautiful pools of blue. Troy swallowed hard, noticing the way her eyes sparkled when she looked at him – he was sure he'd never felt the feelings that were suddenly engulfing him. "You're crazy, Wildcat," she whispered before attaching her lips to his.

Troy was adamant that this game was not going to be over any time soon. As Gabriella pressed her lips to his, he continued to keep his arms folded and did not respond to the kiss which was already driving him out of control. Gabriella pulled back and scanned his face. Upon seeing the mischievous glint in his eyes, she cocked her eyebrows, unamused, and tried to kiss him again. Her tongue began to work at his lips, attempting to pry them apart, but Troy used every fibre of his being to keep his lips firmly together. Gabriella pulled back once again and sighed as she looked down at her boyfriend, who was now smirking at her.

"So, you're not going to surrender?" she enquired, to which Troy slowly shook his head. "You're punishing me by not kissing me?" Troy nodded his head with a muffled laugh. "Fine, be that way." Gabriella sat up, acting as though she didn't care. "Jock."

"Hey, now, I thought I was the overrated basketball star who made crap peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?"

Gabriella let out a small snigger. "Yeah. That too."

There was a pause. "Freaky math girl." Troy was grinning when Gabriella snapped her head back. She smiled softly, sarcastically as she leaned back over her boyfriend.

"Freaky call-back boy."

Troy tried to maintain a serious expression. "Nerd."

"Arrogant."

"Geek."

"Pig-headed."

Troy raised an eyebrow; maybe he was starting to get bored of this game. He could tell Gabriella was already bored of it by the way she was looking at him as though she was going to hit him with the next mock-insult. But, being a member of the male species, he decided to try his luck anyway. "Weakling."

"I'm weak?" Gabriella asked before suddenly swinging her leg over his hips, straddling him. As Gabriella stared down at him, her hands placed flat on the grass on either side of his head, Troy swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. This was new… They'd shared many cuddles; many make-out sessions… but the way Gabriella was sat on top of him, glaring down at him with domineering lust in her eyes, Troy suddenly felt very turned on. He gazed up at her, almost bashfully, and suddenly remembered what Chad had told him earlier that day. _Move on to the next level? _Troy wasn't entirely sure that Gabriella was ready for that step yet. They hadn't even said 'I love you' to each other yet although Troy knew he already felt those feelings towards her. The fact that he wasn't sure of _her_ own true feelings had held him back from actually telling her how he felt for fear he'd scare her away. As for the subject of sex… well, that would have just added more complications to the matter. Was it too soon? They'd been together nine months – excluding, of course, their very brief break-up during the summer.

But looking up at his girlfriend now and seeing the look in her eyes, Troy's mind had suddenly forgotten the teasing game he had chosen to play. And when Gabriella lowered her mouth to his, he responded with a passion; his hands coming up and cupping her jawline, his fingertips slowly grazing over her skin causing her to moan into his mouth. Their tongues danced; her fingers sliding along his cheek and through his hair as the kiss became more heated and their passions mounted. Troy began to run his hands slowly up her leg - her skirt had hitched further up as she straddled him – and he felt her shiver as his hand reached her upper thigh and caressed her there.

When Gabriella pulled back slightly, Troy's frustrated groan breathed over her kiss-swollen lips. "I'm weak?" she asked again in a husky whisper. "I think you've just surrendered, Troy Bolton."

Troy breathed. "Well, when you kiss me like that…" he drifted off as he found his mouth otherwise, and pleasantly occupied by her own. In a swift movement, Troy rolled her over onto her back, his body covering hers. Gabriella let out a small squeak of surprise at this sudden change of position, and then wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer as they continued with their passionate open-mouthed kiss.

The young couple stayed in that position for what seemed like days, until they slowly and reluctantly parted. "So," Gabriella rasped as Troy began to place feather-like kisses along her jawline and neck. "You _didn't _used to bring your ex-girlfriends here."

"You really know how to take the spark out of these romantic moments, Montez."

"Is that a yes or a no?"

"It's a no," Troy smiled as he laced his fingers through her curls. "I've never been with anyone long enough to trust them with my secret hideouts. And I've never really cared about anyone enough to let them see the real me. Well, until now."

"You charmer." Gabriella smiled as she pecked his lips.

"Why do you ask?"

Gabriella shrugged. "Well, it just surprises me that the Wildcats basketball team captain hasn't been in a long-term relationship before."

"Have you?"

"No, but I'm a nerd remember?" she chuckled as Troy blushed, remembering those mocking comments.

"I was only joking, Gabi…"

"I know," she laughed. "I was joking too when I was saying that you were overrated. You're not. You know you're a star." Another kiss took place before Gabriella continued. "The reason I was asking about your exes was because I actually found out today about your last girlfriend… Jess McLean…also known as the head cheerleader of the Wildcats."

Troy groaned and shut his eyes as he prepared for the questioning. "Why? What's been said now?"

"I kinda got the impression she doesn't like me."

"How'd you know?"

"Because she told me." Gabriella laughed at Troy's expression. "She told me today after she explained to me exactly why me and you would never work because we just don't make sense. And apparently, you and her do. So I should prepare for the inevitable dumping you'll be doing to me quite soon so you can live happily ever after with her."

Troy laughed out loud and shook his head in disbelief. "Please tell me you're joking."

Gabriella shook her head, joining in on his laughter. "No, not joking. And so far, you're not doing very well with dumping me, are you? I mean, look at us!"

Troy's laughter subsided. "Seriously, Gabi, she never meant anything to me. Being with her was just…convenient, I guess. Chad was dating another cheerleader at the time and Zeke was dating this girl from another school and I was being pressurized into 'joining the gang'. Jess was all over me like a rash and she was just…there. We lasted two weeks – not even that! She was scarier than Sharpay! She didn't take the break-up all that well after she decided to steal my training jersey and rip it into shreds before telling the entire student body that I had broken her heart – as though we'd been together for years and I'd promised her my heart or something!"

"I guess she's not over this 'heartbreak'." Gabriella smirked as Troy continued to look at her in disbelief.

"Promise me you won't listen to her, Gabi. She's just jealous and thinks she can scheme her way into breaking us up." His fingers started to caress her face again, his gaze sincere.

"Don't you worry, Wildcat – I don't speak 'cheerleader'. She can say anything she likes and I'll never take it in."

The couple smiled to one another and hands and fingers continued to caress as they leaned in, once again, for another long, loving kiss.


	3. Musicale Notes

**THREE – Musi-**_**cale**_** Notes**

If there was one teacher that could make an entrance that made a classroom of students stop talking on the dot; Ms. Darbus would win, hands down. As she waltzed into her classroom that next morning, pride beaming on her face; every student in the room stopped muttering and looked up obediently. The drama teacher may have looked like she couldn't harm a fly even if she wanted to; but the majority of students at East High had seen the 'beastly' side of her – often during another one of her extravagant detentions.

As Darbus stood in front of the classroom, everyone sank lower into their seats as she extended her arms out at her sides and plastered a beaming smile on her face. "Today is a magical day…"

Troy flinched and tried to move backwards in his seat as Darbus' screeching voice seemed to pierce his eardrums. He could hear Chad quietly groaning behind him and he wondered just why he had chosen to sit at the front of the class. He discreetly turned to his right to look at Gabriella, who had an amused smile on her face. She didn't have it quite so bad, since she was sat at the back of the classroom.

"…basketball game against West High is approaching for those who play ball-games and are interested_ in _ball-games…" Darbus' gaze suddenly set on Chad, who was absentmindedly twirling his basketball on the end of his finger. As Darbus cleared her throat and folded her arms, Chad looked up and quickly placed the ball back on his desk.

"Sorry, Ms. Darbus, Your Highness…Ma'am…"

Ms. Darbus made her way towards Chad's desk and cautiously picked up the basketball as though it would explode in her grasp. "We are in a classroom, Mr. Danforth; not a gym. And incidentally, I would much prefer it if from now on you refrain from bringing your toys into this classroom. Thank you." The basketball was placed behind er desk at the front of the room, out of sight. Chad let out a huff and felt as though he was suddenly missing a limb. Troy chuckled behind his hand – Chad was very rarely seen without a basketball in his hands and the team swore that he even slept with it.

"Now, where were we? Oh, yes!" The students flinched again. "Onto more important news; as you are all aware – now being senior students – you are awarded with a variety of dances during your last year at East High and the first will take place in a matter of weeks. I am calling amongst the drama club to help with all the arrangements but if anyone else would like to offer their services, please see Sharpay Evans during free period to discuss any suggestions." Sharpay clapped her hands together in excitement – completely in her element. Sat behind her, her twin brother Ryan rolled his eyes with a knowing smirk. There would be no living with her during the next few weeks.

The bell suddenly rang, signalling the end of homeroom – when, usually, the entire classroom would run out like a pack of wolves. But Darbus' voice stopped them all in their tracks. "There is another announcement!" She called out as a response of moans filled the room as the students sank back slowly into their seats. "Our _fall_ musi-_cale_ will be starting soon – and again will be composed by Kelsi Nielson. I will be letting all students know about audition dates as soon as possible – please, remember; you are all given a chance in the chapel of the arts and I expect to see as many of you there as possible!"

"Actually, Ms. Darbus," Ryan spoke up. "I was wondering if I could discuss something with you about the next show. I actually have a few ideas I'd like to put to you and Kelsi; if you don't mind."

Chad tapped Troy's shoulder. "Dude, don't worry. I told Evans not to mention our names. We're safe and sound."

"Yeah, until we tell the girls." Troy whispered back.

"Of course, Ryan; stay behind. The rest of you…you are dismissed!"

Chad timidly walked to the front of the room as the rest of the students flocked out in a quick pace before Darbus could imprison them further. "Excuse me? Ms. Darbus…ma'am…could I have my ball back?"

A hand went to her hip and the other pointed straight in Chad's face. "As long as you promise me that I will not see it again inside this classroom. We are not in a gym!"

"I promise! I promise!" Chad held out his hands like a five-year-old who craved another lollipop. "Can I just…?"

Ms. Darbus retrieved the ball and held it close. "What do you say, Mr. Danforth? I'm sure your parents educated you enough to learn the basics of manners."

"Please can I have my ball back?" As Darbus handed it over, Chad held his prized possession close to his chest, prompting his girlfriend to shake her head in amusement.

"Pathetic, Danforth; pathetic." Taylor giggled as they exited the classroom where Troy, Gabriella, Zeke and Martha were waiting.

"Fantastic performance, man," Troy laughed, patting his friend on the back. "How will you cope during homeroom now?"

"I never coped before… not with Darbus anyway," Chad muttered.

"Oh, I know that," Troy replied as they began a slow walk down the hallway. "I mean how are you going to be now you won't have your beloved basketball close to your heart _during_ homeroom?"

The girls giggled as Chad shook his head in annoyance and threw the ball lightly over his shoulder so Troy could catch it. "Very funny, dude; very funny. And you know what's goin to be even funnier? The fact that your dad is going to send us to Hell and back…you know, since we're already ten minutes late for practice."

"Oh, shit!" Zeke checked his watch for confirmation. "Yep, we're doomed. It's a matter of weeks before the big game so coach isn't exactly going to go easy on us."

Troy stopped in his tracks and put his hands on Gabriella's shoulders. "I'll see you at lunch?"

Gabriella nodded. "As always." They kissed briefly before the three boys started a sprint down the hallway towards the gym, yelling at slow-moving students to move as they tried to pass. The three girls began to head for an exit so they could sit outside in their usual hang-out place during free period. Taylor called it the 'Girly Gossip Spot' – a place were they could discuss boyfriends, dates and the latest gossip that was circling the school at a great rate of knots.

"So, who's signing up first?" Martha brought up the first topic of conversation as they all sat down in the shade and made themselves comfortable.

Gabriella shrugged. "I don't know; I think I'll wait and see what Ryan and Kelsi come up with first. I really hope Darbus listens to Ryan's ideas – after what he did for us at Lava Springs, you just know his ideas are going to be spectacular."

Taylor looked pessimistic. "I don't know… if the Ice Queen is thinking of signing up – and we can safely assume that she will be – she'll be incorporating her own ideas through Ryan so everything will go her way. Oh, and I think we can assume that she will be the lead. With Troy."

During the summer break, Sharpay had tried every trick in the book to alienate Troy away from Gabriella and his friends just so he would sing with her at the talent show – and blinded by the prospect of a scholarship, Troy had unwittingly allowed Sharpay to succeed; even to the point were Gabriella had broken up with him as a result. By the end of the talent show, everybody had made their peace with Sharpay; and vice-versa… but they still wouldn't fit in the 'friendship' category. It was more of a case of there being no more arguments between them – well, for now anyway.

"No, I don't think so," Gabriella responded. "Ryan has his own mind now – he's one of us. He knows how to handle Sharpay. Better than Ms. Darbus does anyway. If she listens to his suggestions, we can _safety assume_ that it will be a fair competition."

Taylor suddenly smiled as a light bulb seemed to switch on in her head. She scooted closer to Gabriella, who by now was reading a text message on her mobile phone – and by the smile on her face, Taylor knew it was Troy. "Basketball Boy Troy enjoying practice?"

Gabriella looked up quickly, unaware that she had been staring at the message longer than needed. "Coach Bolton's making them stay behind after school to make up for lost time. So, I guess I'll be waiting around after school for a ride home."

"You can hitch a lift with me," Taylor offered. "I mean, I may not be the one you want to kiss goodbye when I drop you off but at least you can be certain that my car won't brake down on the way."

Gabriella lightly slapped her friend. "Ha, ha; very funny," she answered sarcastically; but still found the harmless jokes about Troy's mode of transport funny. "Thanks for the offer but I don't mind waiting. Besides, my Mom wants to make Troy dinner tonight. He's her biggest fan when it comes to her brownies and she's stocked up on the ingredients to make them for him. I'll wait behind for him."

"Or you just want to catch your uber-hot boyfriend as he gets out of the shower…" Taylor's sarcastic comments always earned her a light slap from Gabriella, who started to chuckle along with her friend; not denying the statement at all.

As the girls continued to laugh, Ryan and Kelsi approached them; both beaming and looking as though they would each burst if they didn't tell their news soon. As soon as their backsides touched the grass, Ryan began to ramble:

"Oh my god, we did it! We so did it! Darbus is passing over direction to me and Kelsi for the _entire_ production! She loved our ideas – there's going to be dancing sequences; songs…duets! We have ideas for everyone! This is going to knock the Lava Springs talent show off the board!"

"Wow, Ryan!" Gabriella patted his shoulder. "That's amazing! I can't wait to see what you guys have cooked up."

Kelsi had already pulled out blank music sheets from her bag and was brainstorming ideas. "I really want 'You Are the Music in Me' to be included in the number," she grinned. "I wrote that especially for you and Troy and since Sharpay-"

"-destroyed it-" Ryan filled in.

"…_killed _it…" Kelsi smirked. "…and it didn't make the final showdown due to that fact; I really want you guys to sing it live at this show. I've also got an idea for a number for you and Chad," she turned to Taylor, flicking through her latest ideas were she had various song lyrics noted down. "He has a good voice but he doesn't know it."

"And I know just the guy to assure him of that." Ryan winked. "He proved to be one hell of a dancer – with my direction; he could turn out to be one hell of a singer."

Kelsi nodded enthusiastically and turned sharply to look at Martha. "And Martha, I have ideas for you too. For your song, I've got a bit more of a hip-hop feel to it – a great one to dance along with too. And Zeke and Jason can be back-up's for you and the dancing-"

"-the dancing will be amazing." Ryan finished as they both took a deep breath. "Even Darbus is excited. She handed over full responsibility to Kelsi and me _and_ she said it'll give us extra credit for college. _Everyone_ who participates in one form or another will each gain extra credit."

"Wait, wait," Taylor shook her head quickly, trying to consume every last bit of information. "This all sounds too good to be true – there _has_ to be a catch."

Ryan smiled knowingly. "The only small catch is that Darbus will be supervising every step of the way." He paused. "And without doubt butting in every now and then with her own ideas."

"What about Sharpay?" Martha asked the obvious.

"Oh," Kelsi sank her shoulders. "I have a couple of numbers for Sharpay. I can't say I put my heart and soul into writing them like I did with your songs but hopefully it'll keep her off our backs."

"And I've got an idea for her character – it won't be _the_ lead but it'll be a main character. And I'll try and include her in the direction – but not really if you get my meaning." Ryan's now-found confidence hadn't originally gone down well with his twin sister, but she had dealt with it in her own way. "I just need to sit her down and tell her everything before its set in stone. She has a way of wrapping Darbus around her little finger in a way that I never could. So, I just need to persuade her that this _is_ a good idea and that way she'll go along with everything we say." Ryan's statement had earned him high-fives and hugs from the four girls, who in their excitement had piled on top of him and gave him a monkey-scrub.

Their loud laughter and playfulness had not gone unnoticed by Sharpay Evans.


	4. Get Ahead In The Game

**FOUR – Get Ahead In The Game**

"Fake left, Troy! Fake left! Now right! Go! Go! Go!" Troy dodged Chad effortlessly and within the next second, the ball swished through the net and landed back gracefully in Troy's hands. Chad waved it off as he tried to catch his breath, but Troy did not look happy with his ever-improving skills. The up-and-coming game against West High wasn't a big deal in terms of school points – only in regards to the constant school rivalry – but that didn't stop Jack Bolton from putting the endless pressure on his team. Troy, more than any other Wildcat, felt it constantly embedded inside him.

"And again!" Jack clapped his hands together and began to side-step at the side of the court, following Troy and Chad and they dribbled the ball to the other end of the court and tried to tackle one another. Out of breath and totally exhausted, Troy carelessly trailed behind Chad and barely jumped up to defend the hoop as Chad scored.

The hot sun beamed down on the two basketball players, who had stayed longer after school than originally planned. Zeke had served his time but had been armed with an excuse to leave earlier than Troy and Chad who wished that they too had dentist appointments to attend that evening. They loved basketball but when coach was in a mood like he was that day, they would rather spend detention with Darbus.

Jack Bolton snatched the ball from Chad and started to dribble it as he stood stationary in the middle of the court. "Very good, guys. Troy, keep up next time – that defence was pitiful to watch. Chad, I want you to start practising faking left and braking right like Troy has been doing. I need my two stars at top form this year. This is going to be your last year as Wildcats and you're going to make it a year to remember! Right, now, I want you guys to do some free throws for the next fifteen minutes."

"Dad," Troy struggled to catch his breath. "We've made up our time from earlier… and Gabriella will be waiting for me so…"

Jack passed the ball over to his son, a little harshly than intended. "Troy, we have an important game coming up…"

"Dad, seriously, it's not important, okay? It's not like 'State Championship' kind of important, is it?"

Chad sucked in air through his teeth and stepped back, suddenly wishing he was in another country as he envisioned the argument that would inevitably take place. Jack turned to Chad. "Chad. Free throws. Now." Troy threw the ball back to his friend, who quickly sprinted to the other side of the court to practise. "Troy, over here." Troy sighed and followed his father to the other end of the court were they would not be disturbed. "What's gotten into you, son? You know that _every_ game is important. _Every_ game counts. You're the captain – the playmaker. This year is your chance to really shine. And you know how important the scholarships are…"

"Yes, Dad, I get it. It's important. You told me I'd impressed those guys from A.U. during the summer so why keep up with the constant pressure?"

"Because you need to shine out above any other player in this town. Scholarships aren't handed out to just anyone, Troy. And you're not just 'anyone'. This game may not be the biggest and most important of matches but every game counts for you this year. And I made a promise to myself that I'd do anything possible to help you achieve your goals."

"And it's appreciated, Dad; really. I don't need this constant pressure on me all year. Can't you just ease off?"

"How can I ease off when you're slacking like you have been doing today?"

"Slacking off?" Troy raised his voice slightly, so much so that it made Chad pause for a brief moment. "I can't enjoy the game while you're hassling me about West High, or about the scholarships… plus the fact I have exams this year that are crucial to me attending university next year. I don't need the added pressure of my Dad reminding me of all this all year round."

"Okay, okay," Jack held his hands up in defence. "At least we can agree that senior year is a big deal… and an important one for your future. And I promise I will try to lay off you as much as possible." Jack smiled at his son, slowly easing the tension. "But you know, being a coach… and a self-confessed fanatic of the dream sport, I have to say that going too far with practises is just in my nature. It's an addiction; I'm sure you can understand that, especially since you spend your time yelling at players on the television! I'm like that… just without the television part…" Troy let out a chuckle as Jack patted his shoulder. "Now, about this whole Darbus thing…"

"Dad," Troy sighed.

"That woman has been on my case for years – she probably only did it so she could try and lure you into that new musical she's thinking of doing." Jack paused. "You're…not thinking of doing that new musical…are you?"

Troy sighed again and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not intending to, no. I mean the last one was fun-"

"Twinkle Towne." Jack sniggered prompting his son to laugh along with him.

Troy shook his head and tried to maintain some seriousness. "It was fun… singing with Gabi was amazing and I got so much praise from doing it – even from Darbus! But, like I said, I know this year is important and I'm not intending on getting into A.U. on a performing scholarship so I want to focus on my basketball."

"What did Gabriella say? Is she signing up?"

"We haven't talked about it. Darbus only announced it today and then I came straight here. I guess she'll sign up but Chad and I are going to give this one a miss."

Jack patted Troy's back as they headed towards Chad who scored another hoop. "I'm glad you're thinking that way, son. Your Mom and I did enjoy…Twinkle Towne…" he grinned again. "But I think this year; focus on what's really important to you. Your basketball and your studies. Let Darbus and the drama kids take this one on." Troy nodded his head slowly as Chad tentatively towards them. He breathed a sigh of relief, seeing smiles on both Bolton's.

"Are we ready to practise now?" Chad threw the ball to Troy, who then threw it up and into the net.

"Actually, Dad…" Troy paused as he caught a glimpse of Gabriella slowly making her way towards the court. "Can I…?" Jack nodded.

"That's enough for today…and remember what I said." He had turned from father to coach in a matter of seconds. "Afternoon, Ms. Montez," he added as Gabriella approached.

"Hi, Coach Bolton," Gabriella replied, timidly. She was still unsure about her boyfriend's father – he was civil to her but only because she knew Troy had been angry at him for being rude to her when they first met.

"Shower?" Chad began to dribble the ball on the grass as Troy took Gabriella's hand and the four of them began to walk back towards the school.

"So, Chad," Gabriella began. "Are you asking Taylor to the dance?"

"Do I have a choice?" Chad asked hypothetically, and then laughed it off. "Yes, yes, I'm going to ask her. Why? Does she have a bee in her bonnet already?"

"Kinda." Gabriella shrugged, briefly looking at Troy as her way of hinting that she would like to be asked sooner rather than later.

"We're dating, Gabi – I mean, Gabriella." Chad quickly rephrased knowing that only Troy called her 'Gabi'. Anyone else who did got what Chad called a 'death glare'. Jack spotted it too and chuckled silently to himself as he took the ball from Chad and began to spin it on his fingers. "Taylor is my girlfriend. Seriously, who else does she think I'm going to ask?"

"Sharpay?" Troy butted in with a snigger.

"Please," Chad scoffed. "That's Zeke's area. He's the one who wants to boldly go where no man has gone before. He wants to tame the Ice Queen. All I can say is… good luck."

"I don't know," Troy began to gently swing their linked hands back and forth as they walked. "She likes his cookies. Maybe they are the key to her heart."

"Dude, Sharpay _has_ a heart?"

As they entered the locker rooms and towards the showers, Jack patted both of the boys backs and praised them again for their performances. "Troy, you coming home?" he enquired as he gathered his gym bag and books.

"No, I'm at Gabi's for dinner tonight. I'll be home before curfew." Jack nodded his response and left the locker rooms.

Chad started the shower and was about to take off his sweaty jersey when he realised Gabriella was still with them. "Can I have some privacy?" He asked, before heading to one of the cubicles where he could change. Troy laughed and grasped a hold of his girlfriends hand and dragged her down the hall and into another cubicle.

"Troy, what-?"

Her words were caught by his lips as he pressed her against the wall. As he pulled away, Gabriella breathlessly opened her eyes and swallowed slowly. "And…that was in aid of what?"

Troy shrugged his shoulders. "Chad wanted privacy. So at this precise moment in time, there is no way he can interrupt us." His lips then attached to her neck causing Gabriella to curl her fingers around the back of Troy's neck to pull him closer as she bit her lip. The sensations he caused her to feel were incredible. "Troy Bolton." She tried to sound as though she wasn't enjoying this sweet torture. "You seriously need to shower, smelly boy." Her ear now had his undivided attention, and he brushed her stray curls out of the way to gain better access. "Hey, Wildcat." She breathed and closed her eyes; suddenly realising that the idea of them both alone in a locker room after school hours was quite tempting indeed.

"Hmm?" Troy finally answered, placing a lingering kiss beneath her ear and lightly pressing his nose against her neck. He could feel her pulse racing under her soft skin and he smiled softly; glad that he could make her feel this way with only the simplest of touches.

"You…" Gabriella mumbled as she opened her eyes and back to reality. "You stink."

Troy faced her and cocked an eyebrow. "Is that right?"

Gabriella nodded, her hand beginning to massage the back of his neck lightly. The sweat was still dripping off him, and she felt it on her neck – but instead of being grossed out at the prospect of his sweat running down her own neck, she felt very turned on as he blue orbs bore into hers. "You need to shower."

"Want to join?" A brave question, Troy thought, wondering whether he should have tried it out on her in the first place. To his pleasant surprise, Gabriella smiled and blushed a light crimson.

"As tempting as that would be, Wildcat; I don't particularly fancy showering with you _and_ Chad." She replied as she backed away from him. With a sarcastic groan, Troy pulled off his jersey, showing off that very toned and tanned body that Gabriella could never seem to take her eyes off. The biceps, the pecs, the six-pack… She could feel her body spiralling out of control by the second.

Slowly swallowing the lump that formed in her throat, she tried to maintain her cool. Troy pretended he was unfazed by her stares – it was always a great ego boost when he was shirtless in front of his girlfriend who would practically drool and take in every inch of muscle on his body. Troy loved knowing that he could make her feel that way – but knew he would never use it as a weapon against her.

"Go on," she tore her eyes away from him and pretended to be interested in a recently broken nail. "I'll wait for you outside." As she looked back up at him again, Gabriella smiled before placing a chaste kiss on his lips. Troy smirked at her sudden reaction and watched as she began a slow walk towards the exit. "You're hot, Wildcat!" she called back without turning to look at him. If she had, she would have seen an expression of pure love and pride.

**A/N: Two chapters in one night – my, my I am feeling generous today! ******** I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this story – it gives me all the more encouragement to carry on. I haven't written a proper long fanfic in a long while due to the fact I'm constantly working or at university [in the middle of a 10,000 word essay – ARGH! so you guys giving me encouragement really helps me find the time for this project. I am also trying to dedicate a lot of time into reading some of your stories and I have a few added to my 'favourites' – I will review them when given the chance, I promise ******** Thanks again, guys; mwah! Hope you enjoy xx Holly xx**


	5. Mr 'Sensitivity' Danforth

**FIVE – Mr. 'Sensitivity' Danforth **

"Dude!" Chad's over-excited voice rang through Troy's ears that next morning as he was placing his textbooks into his rucksack. He didn't bother turning around to greet his friend, as Chad was now leaning sideways against the locker beside Troy's, the ever-present basketball in his hands.

"Hey, man; what's up?"

"What's up?" Chad raised his eyebrows as Troy slammed his locker door shut. "What's up? Man, are you ready for this? My parents wake me up this morning to tell me that my great-grandmother who lives up in Kentucky is really, really ill."

Troy slung his rucksack over his left shoulder. "And that's a reason to be all happy and excited because…?"

"Because," Chad was finding it increasingly difficult to keep a smile off his face. "They are on a plane to Kentucky as we speak to look after her. And they've carted my little brother off with them too. And apparently, I'm – and I quote straight from my mother's mouth - 'mature and responsible enough to look after the house' now."

Troy immediately could see where this conversation was going. "So, what are you going to do with this new-found maturity and responsibility?"

Chad looked at Troy in complete disbelief. "Er…throw a gigantic, huge house party, of course!"

Troy threw his head back as he pretended that he had no idea that Chad was even _thinking_ about a party. "Ah, a _party_…" he smiled and shook his head in amusement. "You're just full of sensitivity, aren't you, Danforth?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your… great-grandmother is sick – so bad that your parents have caught a plane _today_ to get to her sooner, thinking that they've left their house in _mature_,capable hands and you're…planning a party?"

"Planning?" Chad scoffed. "It only took about ten minutes to plan. Half of East High is already invited; Zeke's already baking crème-brulee… and Jason has already sorted out the pink jelly vodka shots. You know, the ones you love so much." Chad chuckled at the memory of his best friend getting completely drunk on those pink jelly's after his team mates assured him that they were _only_ jelly; "honest". Troy rolled his eyes as Chad patted his back and continued to laugh.

The two lads proceeded in making their way towards their next lesson as the warning bell signalled. "So when is this outrageous event going to take place?"

"Tonight. Do you really think I'd wait another twenty-four hours for a house party? Dude, the house is ours! And don't worry about a thing – I'll reserve a room for you and Gabriella." Troy held the back of his hand against Chad's chest, stopping him in his tracks.

"What do you mean; 'reserve a room'?"

Chad grinned a knowing grin and placed his hand on Troy's shoulder. "You don't think tonight could be the night?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh, yeah." Troy quipped. "Oh yeah, it could well be because being the hopeless romantic that I am, I would want our first time to take place at a high school party under the influence of alcohol."

"Okay, okay." Chad answered defensively as they began walking again. "So don't drink until afterwards. You know, like a celebration. I've recently tidied my room."

"Okay, we are not actually having this conversation." Troy sighed and shook his head in frustration. "Chad, I am not having sex in your bedroom. Tidy or untidy."

Chad shrugged. "Fine, okay. My parents keep theirs-"

"That'll be a fun high school memory to look back on in the future. 'Oh remember the time when we had sex in Chad's parent's bedroom'?" Troy couldn't help but allow the sarcasm to drip from his voice.

"My little brother-"

"Don't even finish that sentence." Troy glared at Chad, causing the bushy-haired basketball fanatic to snigger.

"Well, there's always the Treehouse."

"Treehouse? What, the same Treehouse were we used to play with our toy cars and Power Rangers?" Troy cocked an eyebrow as they reached their biology classroom and took their respective seats at the back of the room. "Chad, I'm only going to say this once. Gabriella and I are _not _going to have sex in your bedroom, your parent's bedroom, your brother's bedroom, your Treehouse, your bathroom, your hallway, your closet…or any other room you're thinking of bringing up!"

"Oh, come on, man; what's wrong with you?" Chad hushed his voice as the teacher entered the room and greeted the class. Troy took out his notebook and pen and pretended to be more interested in copying down what the teacher was writing on the board. "You and Gabriella have been together for over nine months. Dude, get with the times! What the hell is holding you back?"

Troy slowly let out a deep breath as he continued to keep his eyes focused on the board; anywhere but on Chad. "I just want to do things properly."

Chad frowned. "Your parents _did_ tell you all about the birds and the bees, right? You _do _know where babies come from, don't you?"

"Yes, Chad." Troy sighed.

"So what's your problem?"

"Look," Troy hissed a little too loudly, which pressed some other students to turn around and look at them both briefly. "It's my love life, my business."

"But you guys are all over each other all the time. You are so ready for this, my friend." Chad lightly pounded the desk with his fist to further his point.

Troy slowly put his pen down and drew in another take of air. "Just what is the sudden obsession over me and Gabi about? How about you and Taylor? You're in the same position as I am, Danforth, so why aren't you focusing on your own love life?"

Chad rubbed his hands together. "Because, captain, tonight is going to be the night for me and Taylor."

Troy finally turned to look at his friend. "Oh, really?"

"Yes, really."

"Does Taylor know?"

"No. I'm just going to pin her down on the bed, do my business and then inform her." Chad rolled his eyes. "Of course she knows! It was her idea."

Troy picked up his pen and began to lightly tap it on top of his notebook. "Sorry, I just can't imagine Taylor wanting to have sex during a high school party. I thought that was 'too cheerleader' for her."

"Well," Chad smiled. "It seems she just can't hold back any longer. And anyway, nobody said it would be during the party. She'll be stopping over once I throw everyone out."

Troy paused; his nerves slowly catching up with him as he continued to tap the pen on the desk. "Have you…have you told her you love her?"

"What?" Chad whispered back.

"Taylor… have you told her you love her yet?"

"No."

"Are you going to tonight?"

Chad looked taken aback. "Love? What are you talking about love for, Bolton? You don't fall in love until you're like…thirty or something. We're way too young for that. Why?"

Troy shrugged and stared down at his notes. "No reason. Just… I thought girls needed to know that they're in love before they have sex."

Chad muffled another laugh. "Are you serious? Dude, that kind of talk is absolute rubbish. Why? Is that why you and Gabriella aren't doing anything? Because she wants to be in love?"

"No. No." Troy answered slowly, choosing his words carefully. "I just… well when I said I wanted to do things properly, I meant that I wanted to tell Gabi that I love her first. You know, like a commitment kind of thing. And I'm kind of hoping that she'll say it back."

Chad sat back in his seat. "Oh my god," he started slowly. "Oh my god, I knew starring in Darbus' stupid Twinkle Towne show would have a bad effect on you. You've turned into a girl."

"What?" Troy breathed in a loud whisper.

"Dude, if you want to have sex; just have sex! Don't wait around for all that mushy lovey-dovey stuff. Otherwise you'll never get it done!"

"Seriously, Chad, try to sound more shallow. I thought you respected Taylor; even though you both put up that fake act of pretending you don't care."

"I do respect Taylor." Chad replied. "Just don't tell her that." Troy chuckled under his breath and Chad joined him, seeing that he had lightened up a little on the topic. "So, you're in love…?"

Troy shot his best friend a glare that simply read 'mock me and prepare to die' plastered on his face.

"Dude, don't kill me with looks; I didn't mean anything by it! I just don't get why you just don't tell her. Are you a man or a mouse?"

"At this precise moment, Danforth; a mouse. And don't even think about telling anybody about this teeny discussion we've just had. I had actually planned for Gabi to hear it first but since you just can't let anything go without having the last word…"

"Oh, Troy Bolton, I feel so special now!" Chad held his hands to his heart and fluttered his eyelashes. Troy lightly punched Chad's shoulder; wishing he could do it a lot harder to shut him up completely. "Hey!" Chad grasped a hold of where Troy had hit him and pretended to grimace in pain. "Look, do you want some Chad Danforth advice or not?"

"Not."

"Well, you're having it anyway." Chad continued as Troy began to write down notes again, trying desperately to hear the teacher's voice over Chad's. "Tell the girl you love her… I don't know… buy her some flowers or chocolates or something really girly. Get down on one knee if you must! Declare your undying love, gaze into her eyes and take her hand… and then lightly add some cheesy line about how she's going to need a quarter to call up her Mom because she won't be going home tonight…"

"Use that line on Taylor and I guarantee you'll not get anywhere tonight."

Chad ignored Troy's comment. "Just… do it, Bolton! You know you want to."

"Yes. In my own time. In my own way. And without you having any knowledge of it unless we decide to tell you. And it won't, may I add, take place in your house. Happy?"

"Not really." Chad huffed and finally picked up his own pen and tried to catch up on the notes; glancing at Troy's work every five seconds to copy it down.

"Now class!" The teacher put down her black marker pen and spoke up as the students lifted their heads and put their pens down. "As of next week, we shall start to look at the reproductive system…"

Her voice drifted off as Chad nudged Troy with his elbow. "It's a sign."

Troy rolled his eyes. "Chad, it is not a sign."

"Oh, it is."

"It's not."

Chad couldn't help but grin widely. "It is."

Troy paused, getting more and more annoyed by his friend's teasing. "It so is not."

"Dude," Chad looked straight at him, the humour bouncing in his eyes. "It so is."


	6. Miss 'Loud Mouth' McKessie

**SIX – Miss 'Loud-Mouth' McKessie**

As soon as the bell rang for lunch, Gabriella and Martha practically sprinted out of their chemistry class before Mr. Hillard could bore them any further. Gabriella had always enjoyed science lessons… until she had started at East High and Mr. Hillard had succeeded in turning it into the most boring subject in the world. Her world had practically fallen apart when she learned that she had him for chemistry for _another _year. Troy had made fun of her upon hearing the news, since he no longer had to deal with the dreary teacher.

"Another year of Hillard." Martha groaned as they both walked towards their lockers. "I swear I'm not going to last another year of this torture. If I ask kind enough, you will kill me, right?"

Gabriella laughed. "Just turn up the volume on your iPod. Drown out the boredom."

"I did!" Martha exclaimed as they reached the cafeteria and took their seats at their usual table where Zeke, Jason and Kelsi were already sitting. "But I could still see him standing there, in front of me. Talking. Destroying souls. And then I could hear him in my head… over Icecube, for god's sake!"

Gabriella shook her head and laughed it off. "Hey guys." she greeted her other friends who were already munching into pizza and fries. "Are you going to Chad's party tonight?"

Jason muffled a laugh which caused Zeke to grin. "We've got the pink jellies!"

"Pink jelly?" Gabriella enquired, placing her shoulder bag on the floor beside her seat.

"Just… just wait until tonight." Zeke smiled. "And make sure you're totally sober. It's the only way to really appreciate how funny Troy is when he's drunk on those things."

"Do you really think Troy is going to fall for the same trick twice?" Jess McLean, in full Wildcat cheerleader uniform, leaned over Zeke's shoulder and smiled a smile so fake it would have been more subtle to have it written all over her forehead. "Speaking of Troy… is he around?" Her eyes rested on Gabriella, who rolled her eyes and smiled in response to Kelsi making vomiting expressions.

"The gym?" Jason offered, causing Zeke and Martha to elbow him violently. "Ow! What?"

Jess smiled and gestured for her two other friends to follow her. "Why, thank you, Jason. I think I'll go find him now." With a wink and a grin, the three cheerleaders strutted out of the cafeteria.

"Do you not _know _when to keep your mouth shut, Cross?" Zeke shook his head with a sigh.

"That woman is worse than Sharpay." Kelsi added, sending an apologetic expression to Gabriella.

"Troy can handle himself," she replied. "Jess can try anything she wants. I trust him." Gabriella sounded convincing; but there was still a teeny-weeny bit of doubt embedded in the back of her mind. After all, she was dating the most sought-after, super hottie-bomb of East High where girls would practically fall at his feet; she was bound to have at least a tiny piece of doubt in her head. But she knew deep down that Troy would never cheat or hurt her.

"Yeah, but can you trust Jess?" Zeke responded as Taylor entered the cafeteria and scanned the room to look for her friends.

"Hold that thought. I need food." Gabriella stood up. "Are you coming, Martha?"

"No, thanks." Martha put her rucksack on the table and pulled out her packed lunch. "Mom's made her speciality."

Gabriella nodded her response and walked towards Taylor, who had taken her place in the lunch line. "Hey, Tay; what's up?"

Taylor linked her arm with Gabriella's as the queue began to move at a glacial pace. "I miss summer." She groaned, letting her head fall lazily against Gabriella's shoulder. "I'm just so glad that Chad is having this party tonight – I never thought I'd say this, but I'm sick of math homework already."

"Woah, Taylor." Gabriella put on her best 'shocked' expression.

"I know!" she exclaimed. "It's this really bad effect Chad's having on me. I was actually annoyed all through math class today – the teacher just would not _shut up_. I mean, I couldn't even concentrate!"

"My god, Tay; are you ill?" The queue moved ever so slightly and the girls took a small step forward. "What's wrong with you?"

Taylor beamed; her face turning a light crimson. She gently pulled Gabriella closer so she could whisper. "Chad and I are going to…well…tonight we're going to…"

"Oh my god!" Taylor didn't need to finish her sentence. Gabriella tried to keep her excitement to a minimum to prevent other students from overhearing. "Tay, that's amazing! I can't believe you guys are actually taking that step!"

"I know." Taylor wouldn't be able to take the smile off her face even if she wanted to.

"And at a high school party." Gabriella continued. "I thought that would be a little 'too cheerleader' for you."

Taylor just continued to smile and beam. "I can't believe you and Troy haven't yet."

"Hey, it's not like I don't want to. Name me a girl in this entire high school that wouldn't want to."

Taylor held her hand up. "I don't."

Gabriella smirked. "Fine. Except for you. But that's only because you're high on Chad-ness and if you weren't attached, you'd be completely and utterly insanely jealous."

"Oh!" Taylor laughed. "Someone's getting a little popularity-high! So, tell me Miss Montez; why is it that your super hottie-bomb boyfriend isn't giving up the goods yet?"

Gabriella sighed as they finally took another small step forward. They were getting closer to the front of the line, and would be there sooner if not for a girl who just couldn't decide between macaroni and cheese or chilli con carne. "I don't know. We haven't talked about it or anything but there have been these…moments…"

"Moments?" Taylor grasped Gabriella's arm and violently pulled her closer again. "Ooh, come on; tell."

"Well," it was Gabriella's turn to blush. "There have been… kisses…and touching…"

Taylor snapped her head back. "Kissing and touching? Ooh, saucy." She rolled her eyes. "Gabriella Montez, I thought you were going to give me some gossip _worth _listening to!"

Gabriella lightly slapped Taylor's arm. "No, no, I mean… I mean the kisses aren't just kisses. They're amazing. And the touches… It's like everything I need to know about him are all in his kisses."

"I feel a Cher song coming on."

"No, I'm serious." Gabriella looked back at Taylor and furrowed her brow as Taylor began to hum the opening lines of 'The Shoop Shoop Song'. "It's like… I know I'm ready for it. And by the way he kisses me and touches me, I think he is to. But it never goes any further… Tay, do you know if Troy has ever…? You know?"

Taylor stopped humming long enough to shake her head and answer. "No, I don't know. All I know is that that boy is the most popular guy in school and that until you; he'd never been in a relationship that lasted longer than a month."

"Yeah, I know he told me. But he's a guy, right…"

"I hope so." Taylor interrupted. "For your sake more than anyone else's."

"Ha, ha; very funny. But you know what I mean, right? At my last school, all I ever heard guys talk about was which girl they'd scored with the night before; and then laugh and joke about how they weren't going to call them back because they enjoyed their 'stud' status."

"Gabs, you know Troy's not like that."

"Yeah, I know; it's just… I want to know why he doesn't take it any further."

"Well, why don't you just ask him?"

"Or you could ask Chad?"

"Ask Chad what?" Chad appeared at the girl's side whilst other students behind him started protesting at his queue-jumping. "Er, excuse me?" Chad pointed at himself. "I'm a senior. I rule all. Deal with it." As he turned his attention back to them, he slipped an arm around Taylor's waist and kissed her cheek. "Ask me what?"

"About Troy's past relationships." Taylor responded.

Chad held his hands up in defence and drew in a breath. "Hey, hey; I'm not getting trapped in one of these conversations. I'll be like entering the twilight zone."

"But there's something to know…" Gabriella pressed.

Chad shook his head. "No, not really…" he drifted off. "He's only ever been serious about you. And that's all I know, I swear." Gabriella sighed as she reached the front of the queue and began to choose what she wanted. Taylor gazed up at her boyfriend and cocked an eyebrow. "What?" he asked defensively.

"You know something, Danforth." Taylor paused as Gabriella looked back at them both briefly before paying for her food and heading back to the table. Taylor picked out her food and turned back to Chad. "So?"

"Know something about what? Troy's past relationships? Hell, you and I both know he's never been as serious about anyone as he is Gabriella."

Taylor shook her head and quickly looked to see if the lunch lady was serving up adequate amounts of fries. "Just _how_ serious is he, Chad? Honestly?"

"Oh, come on, Tay. He made me promise not to tell."

Taylor placed a hand on her hip. "I'm your girlfriend."

"He's my best friend."

"You want to live to see your party?"

Chad sighed in defeat and hung his head. "Okay, okay. But you _cannot_ tell anyone, okay? Not even Gabriella. Because if you do, I _will_ die and Troy Bolton will be done for a very brutal murder."

"Chad; chill." Taylor took hold of her lunch tray. "I promise. Just tell me."

"He loves her."

"He _what?!_" Taylor almost dropped her lunch tray and her mouth dropped open.

"Exactly what I said. Troy Bolton is in love with Gabriella Montez and he won't sleep with the girl until he tells her because he's turned into a total woman and just won't get it over with already."

Taylor's mouth closed and she narrowed her eyes. "What's wrong with telling a girl that you love her, Chad Danforth? And what's with the attitude? 'Getting it over with'? Are you really that shallow?"

"What? No! Taylor… I-"

"What are you having, Mr. Danforth?" the lunch lady sighed in frustration, her hands resting on her hips.

Chad turned back and forth to look at Taylor and the lunch lady. "Chilli…no…fries! No…chilli…no-" He stopped as Taylor made her way towards the booth to pay for her food. He jogged towards her and grasped her hand. "You know what I mean, Baby. I didn't mean it like that. What I meant was I don't get why Troy just won't tell her already. Okay? Nothing to do with me and you, Baby, honest."

Taylor just smiled and nodded. "I know what you meant. I just like watching you squirm."

"Mean." Chad grinned and pulled back Taylor's arm again as she started to make her way towards the table. "Hey, just forget about what I've just said, okay?"

"What, about Troy being head-over-heels in love with my best friend?"

"Shh!" Chad quickly checked around them to make sure no one else had heard which provoked Taylor to smile in spite of herself; watching him squirm once more. "Keep it down will you? And for god's sake, do not tell Gabriella. Seriously."

Taylor cocked her head to the left, a smile still on her face. "Shouldn't you order your food? You're losing your place in line…"

"Tay." Chad warned. "Don't do it."

"Get your chilli, Danforth." She began to slowly walk away.

"I mean it!" Chad called after her, but got no response as she drifted into the crowds. _Damn, she drives me crazy…_ Chad shook his head and walked back towards the food where another student was already placing his order. "Hey." Chad pushed him backwards. "I think it was my turn."

"I think you walked out of line." The guy fought back.

"Ahem." Chad smiled and looked at the lunch lady. "Senior." That seemed to end the argument and Chad began to decide what he wanted to eat which caused the other students waiting in line to groan loudly.

Taylor, meanwhile, had practically skipped back to the table, where Ryan was now sitting and talking through his initial ideas for the show. The grin that she was trying to hide was so obvious that the entire table stopped what they were talking about and looked at her.

"Taylor, you look scary." Zeke sank back into his seat.

"What?" Taylor sank her shoulders. "Why do I look scary?"

"That smile is the biggest smile I've ever seen in my life." Jason answered.

"Well _maybe_ I've just heard something _so _exciting that _maybe_ I just can't keep it to myself." The big scary smile was back.

"Okay," Ryan put his sandwich down and leaned forward. "Spill."

"Actually," Taylor stood up and pulled Gabriella up with her. "Actually, I think it's something Gabriella _simply_ has to know! Now!" She pulled Gabriella away with her a little too ruthlessly leaving their friends at the table looking confused. "Oh my god, oh my god," Taylor tried to keep her voice low but the excitement just wanted to burst out of her.

"What?" Gabriella looked more confused than ever.

Taylor took a deep breath. "Okay-I-was-just-talking-to-Chad-and-he's-just-told-me-something-super-duper-cool-but-you-can't-tell-anyone-not-even-Troy." Taylor heaved in a deep breath.

Gabriella tried to take in each word as quickly as she could. "Okay. I promise I won't tell. So, what is it?"

"Troy loves you."

"What?" She shook her head to make sure she'd heard right. Taylor just smiled – a normal smile – and nodded her head slowly.

"He loves you and that's why he won't take it further. He wants to tell you first." Gabriella just let out the breath she was not aware she'd been holding in. "So…" Taylor searched her friend's unreadable face for some sort of answer. "What do you think?"

"What do I think?" Gabriella finally answered, looking back at Taylor's face. "He… _loves_ me, Tay. That's just so…_amazing_."

"Yeah, I know; but remember what I said. Chad made me swear I wouldn't say anything but I thought it was too huge to keep quiet and you were getting stressed about him so I… told. Just keep this between us, okay? Oh, and when Troy does tell you, try and act surprised." Taylor took her hand and they walked back to the table.

"Oh, I'll be surprised. I don't think it'll sink in until he tells me himself." The two girls giggled as they sat back down again, both trying desperately to keep the smiles from their faces. Their friends looked on, confused but didn't ask why, figuring that they would find out pretty soon anyway.

As Chad took his seat at the table, he cast a suspicious stare at Taylor, who just shrugged and took a sip of her cola. Chad's gaze went from his girlfriend, to Gabriella; who seemed _happier_ in a dreamy-cheesy type of way. He narrowed his eyes and tried to catch Taylor's stare, but failed to do so since she had distracted herself away from him by starting up a topic of conversation with Zeke. As he sighed and started to pick at his food, Troy entered the cafeteria, closely followed by Jess McLean who was trying to get his attention.

"Hey guys." Troy greeted them as Jess finally approached him.

"Troy, I was trying to catch you! You didn't have to run away from me in the hallway, you know!" Jess huffed and stuck her hip out to the right and placed her hand on it. "I needed to talk to you."

"Oh. Right." Troy placed a kiss on Gabriella's cheek and put his hands on her shoulders as he stood behind her. "Sorry. I guess I didn't see you."

"I was shouting you!" Jess shouted; pulling a face as Troy kissed his girlfriend's cheek.

"Well…maybe I didn't hear you either."

"Didn't hear me? You saw me and then you ran!"

"Well…maybe I choose not to hear you. Hey, can I sit down?" Troy ignored the horrified expression which was now plastered on Jess' face. Gabriella stood up so Troy could sit himself down in her seat. He then grasped her waist and pulled her back onto his lap. "Hey, beautiful," he said, placing a soft kiss on her jawline as she made herself comfortable. Jess seemed to be struggling with finding words and instead stamped her foot and stomped away with a loud frustrated groan. Zeke and Jason chuckled as they watched her stampede to her own table and sit down with folded arms and a pout.

Gabriella and Taylor were looking at each other and smiling, which did not go unnoticed by Troy. "What? What's up with you two? You've got scary smiles."

"Nothing." Both girls answered, and then laughed. Gabriella wound an arm around Troy's neck and kissed his cheek. "It's nothing." Troy shrugged before helping himself to a handful of Gabriella's fries. Taylor continued to grin and looked over at Chad who did not look amused.

"You are such a loud-mouth, McKessie."


	7. A Little Nudge

**SEVEN – A Little Nudge**

"Enter, my friends; to the party that never ends!" Chad opened his front door wide, allowing the music that was turned up to maximum volume to burst out onto the quiet streets. Troy and Gabriella both raised their eyebrows in amusement, knowing that Chad was going to be in a hyperactive mood for at least the next six hours – or until the police finally showed up to tell him to turn the music down.

"Don't you think you should turn it down a bit?" Gabriella put a finger in her ear and tried to shout over the music that was practically deafening.

"No!" Chad shouted back. "My next-door neighbour is deaf; don't worry about it."

"Was that before you put the music on? Because if not, we can safely say she is deaf now!" Troy yelled back before dragging Gabriella through the crowds of people towards the stereo which he turned down a few notches. Nobody seemed to notice the change in volume; in fact the swarm of people that were dancing in the living room-turned- dance floor seemed grateful that they could stop holding their ears in pain. Gabriella saw their friends crowded in the kitchen and pulled Troy along with her to greet them. Zeke was wearing his trademark chef's hat and was gloating about his culinary skills as student after student complimented him on his crème brulee and chocolate cake. Kelsi, Martha and Jason were huddled together, dancing on the spot along with the music and giggling at something that had happened at school that day.

"Hey!" Gabriella tapped Kelsi's shoulder and the three of them backed off, making the circle a little bigger to fit the two late arrivals.

"Hey, what took you guys so long?" Kelsi asked, still dancing.

Troy stepped behind Gabriella, wrapping his arms around her upper body and resting his cheek against hers. "It was my fault." He explained, squeezing her gently. "I should have known that it takes girls light-years to get ready. I arrived at her house too early and she was in the middle of a nervous breakdown over what to wear. And when I told her she looked great in anything, she totally flipped out and nearly killed me."

"Did not." Gabriella elbowed him with a grin as Taylor started to make her way through the crowds towards them. Looking at the amount of people who had turned up for this party, she was sure Chad had invited half of Albuquerque, let alone East High. Three quarters of the people, Taylor did not recognise from school and guessed that they were merely passers-by who wanted free alcohol and a chance to score with any willing girl. Chad had already drank enough to qualify him as being tipsy, and was so excited about the whole affair that he'd let anyone in.

"Hey, Gabs." Taylor grasped a hold of Gabriella's wrist and attempted to pull her from Troy's embrace. "Excuse me, Troy?" Taylor smirked. "Can I borrow her for just a few minutes?"

Troy pretended to think about it; not loosening his grip on her. "Okay, but don't lose her because I want her back. And I want her back in the same condition, so look after her!" The grip loosened and Gabriella stepped closer to Taylor and chuckled softly.

"Don't worry Basketball Boy; she'll be fine!" Taylor poked out her tongue and began to drag Gabriella away and into the crowds.

Troy turned to Jason. "You wouldn't think that a nickname like that would hurt… but it does!"

Taylor pulled Gabriella into the dining room where various cheap snacks were carelessly laid out around a giant bowl of punch. The bowl – Taylor suddenly realised – was Mrs. Danforth's beloved, and expensive, fruit bowl that had been passed down through her family for decades. It could be safely assumed that the bowl had officially lost a lot of its original value and Taylor hoped upon hope that Mrs. Danforth wouldn't notice; otherwise she'd be attending Chad's funeral earlier than expected.

As Gabriella began to pick through some savoury snacks, Taylor tugged on her sleeve with wide eyes. "What?" Gabriella asked confused, as she munched on a Dorito.

"Any progress with the whole 'love' scenario?"

Gabriella shook her head. "No. And I've thought of nothing else all day. The butterflies in my stomach are literally flying out of control and I feel dizzy just thinking about it."

"So do something." Taylor answered in a carefree tone as she began to pick at the Pringles.

"Like what?" Gabriella watched her friend and wondered if she had any problems with Chad around this area. "If Troy was planning on telling me tonight, I've totally blown it because I'm sure I scared him at my house earlier. He just _would not_ help me decide what to wear and told me everything looked fine. It did _not_ look fine! And it irritated me so much that I went into full rant mode and completely scared him! So much that he even insisted on waiting downstairs with my Mom to ensure his own safety!"

Taylor laughed and took a handful of pretzels. "You could tell him you love him, you know."

"What? First?" Taylor nodded as she munched on her favourite snacks. "No." Gabriella shook her head. "I mean, I know that I love him and when he tells me, I'll definitely say it back. It's just that I'd rather hear him say it first. Since you told me at lunch, it's been all I could think about. And I was thinking about _how_ he'd do it and when. It'll be more romantic if he says it first."

"But Troy's well known for moving at a glacial pace when it comes to relationships." Taylor groaned aloud and decided to pour out two cups of punch. "You need to make a stand, Gabs; give him a little nudge."

Gabriella accepted her cup of punch and took a sip. She grimaced at the taste but since it was her first taste of alcohol, she decided to pretend she liked it as Taylor took a mouthful and seemed to enjoy it. "What do you mean?"

"My elder sister is an expert when it comes to the male species. Now, I'm not saying that all guys are the same because they're not. But generally, the male mind works in pretty much the same way when dealing with certain issues. It's widely known that the female species are the stronger sex and so we have to guide the males so they can survive in life. You have two choices."

"Okay." Gabriella let out a small laugh. "What are my choices?"

"You can seduce him. He told Chad he wants to tell you he loves you first, so all you do is seduce him to the point that he can't hold back any longer and blurts it out before you both finally get it on."

Gabriella chortled and shook her head; a slight blush emitting on her cheeks. "Tay, I don't want to force him to say it. I want him to surprise me with it."

Taylor scoffed. "Gabs, that whole surprising concept went out of the window as soon as I told you in the cafeteria."

"I know." Gabriella took another very small sip of her punch. "But it'll still be nice to hear him say it and just spring it on me. I don't want to make him say it. What's my other choice?"

"Dangerously flirt with other men and drive Troy insane. It'll drive him to say it because he'll get paranoid that he's going to lose you. And then Chad will tell him that he needs to tell you he loves you because then it'll properly secure you in his life."

Gabriella lifted an eyebrow, so obviously not impressed with Taylor's ideas. "Tay, I'm not going to flirt with anybody, okay? I'm not like that and I don't want to drive Troy insane with jealousy."

"It's not like you're going to mean it. Just…let Troy think you do…"

"You officially suck at coming up with ideas, Taylor. You're fired."

"I'm fired?" Taylor's eyes widened in disbelief as Ryan, Kelsi and Sharpay approached them. Sharpay had a face like thunder whereas Ryan looked happy yet uncomfortable with his sister's current choice of behaviour. Kelsi stood behind Sharpay and looked as though she wanted to stick a bullet to her forehead and pull the trigger. Kelsi used to be afraid of Sharpay; even to the point that she had let Sharpay practically take over the production that she had composed. If not for Troy's words of encouragement, Kelsi was ashamed to admit that Twinkle Towne would have turned out a lot different with Sharpay's extravagant ideas and sped-up songs.

"Hey, guys." Ryan greeted his two friends, who looked confused and bewildered as Sharpay huffed and folded her arms like a spoiled brat. "Kelsi and I have just let Sharpay know about our initial ideas for the show…"

"And she hasn't taken it too well?" The sarcasm poured out of Taylor's voice as she glared at the blonde. "Well, too bad. She's been in nearly every single one of the school's productions and its time for some new blood."

Ryan cringed as he could feel his twin sister start to boil with anger. When two fiery personalities like Taylor's and Sharpay's came into close contact, you could assume that war would break out. "No, no," he started slowly, casting a quick glance to Gabriella as he spoke. "She just would like another solo song adding on, and," he looked at Gabriella apologetically. "And one duet with Troy."

"Too bad. He's already singing with Gabs." Taylor answered in a 'so there' tone.

"Well _he_ promised he'd sing with me at the Lava Springs talent show and that never happened, did it?" Sharpay shot back, making Ryan close his eyes tightly. He'd only just managed to calm his sister down and now they were back to square one. He took a step forward so he was just about standing in-between the two girls.

"Troy is still singing with Gabriella at the end of the show, just like we discussed." Ryan held his hands out at either side of him to separate the girls even more. "But Sharpay would like to have a duet with him too. If that's okay with Gabriella…"

"Why do I need _her_ permission?" Sharpay flicked her hair back over her shoulder, almost hitting Kelsi in the face.

"She's his girlfriend!" Taylor shot back.

"But she's not the boss of him. She can't tell him who he can or can't sing with. And the fact of the matter is, he _promised _me."

"Only to sing at Lava Springs! This is a school musical!"

"Guys!" Gabriella stood beside Ryan and between Sharpay and Taylor. "I think I can speak for myself. It's up to Troy who he sings with and if he decides that he wants to sing with you, Sharpay, then that's cool with me."

Sharpay smirked in Taylor's direction whilst Taylor scowled at Gabriella's words. "You two can argue and scowl as much as you like." Gabriella sighed. "But Troy isn't even aware of what we've been planning and I don't even know if he wants to sing yet. We've got to get everyone involved before we can start planning this show."

"Right." Ryan nodded his head once. "So in the meantime; Shar, you go party over there with your other girly friends and Gabs, Tay, Kelsi and I will go this way and party. Okay?"

Sharpay let out a loud sigh. "I can't believe you turned into one of _them_!" She turned on her heel and stomped away into the crowds to look for some of her friends whilst Ryan shook his head and smiled.

"I always take those comments as compliments," he grinned, his arms going around Gabriella and Kelsi's shoulders. "Shar can be so naïve, but eventually she'll grow up. Anyway, let's forget about her for now. I've got a great dance number lined up… can any of you guys swing dance?" Gabriella and Taylor shook their heads before bursting out in giggles as Ryan took Gabriella in her arms and started to dance with her. "Oh, it's easy; here, I'll show you." He backed them both into the middle of the room so they had a little more space. He started to twirl Gabriella around, who seemed to know exactly where to put her feet. She started to laugh as Ryan began to hum a beat and bop his head from side to side as he moved them around the room. Taylor stepped forward and took Ryan's bright red hat from his head and placed it on Gabriella's, causing the four of them to laugh uncontrollably at the sight in front of them.

**A/N Okay, I wasn't all that thrilled with that chapter, but trust me, it's leading somewhere. I think they'll be another two or three chapters revolving around Chad's house party so bear with me – it's all a build up to one of the main plots of the story. Thanks again for all your wonderful reviews and comments – I really appreciate them so thank you xx Also, on another note; I've actually e-mailed Heat magazine and begged them to put Zac Efron on their 'Torso of the Week' page! Fellow Brit's will know what I'm talking about so hopefully in next week's issue, they'll print my letter and a nice topless pic of Zac. Fingers crossed, Peeps! Xx Holly xX**


	8. Lucky Underpants

**EIGHT – Lucky Underpants**

"And here they are, my friends." Chad pulled out a large packet of condoms from his jeans pocket and held them aloft so his three friends could see. As he slowly lifted them higher into the air, he began to sing the opening lines of 'Chariots of Fire'. Troy, Zeke and Jason leaned forward to read the front of the box, their eyebrows simultaneously rising and their lips trying to hide the hints of a smirk.

"Eighteen packets?" Zeke enquired, a smile starting to break out on his face. "You'll never use all of those tonight!"

"Hey, I'm covered for at least the next week." Chad boasted, lightly elbowing Troy as he spoke. "But don't worry; it's not like I'm not thinking about my best and loyal friends." He opened the box and pulled out a packet which he handed to Troy. "For you," he said as Troy slowly took it with an amused frown. "Use it with honour. Or just use it. Preferably sooner rather than later."

"And what about us?" Zeke pointed to himself and Jason. "Are we not part of your 'best and loyal friend' circle?"

Chad nodded and quickly closed the box. "You are. But you're both single."

"Hey, once Sharpay tastes my crème-brulee, she'll be literally wrapped around me. I'm already baking her cookies on a regular basis and they got her to talk to me. Just think what my crème-brulee will do!"

"Dude, you'll never be able to tame the Ice Queen. It's just one of those things in life that can never be accomplished. Kinda like getting Darbus to shut up for more than five seconds." Chad's words seemed to have absolutely no effect on Zeke, who still had a dreamy look on his face. When it looked as though he had returned back to Earth, Zeke folded his arms and turned to his friend.

"Oh, yeah? Remember last year when you said near-enough the same thing about your current girlfriend?" Zeke shot back and Chad pretended that he had no idea what he was talking about. He quickly scanned the room to check that Taylor was nowhere in sight. "You said something along the lines of her being a total nerd and that you'd feel sorry for any man who dared to fuck-"

"Okay! Zekey-boy, I think we've got off on the wrong foot here!" Chad had gotten to closer to Zeke in one long stride and placed his hand over his mouth, muffling the rest of his words. Troy and Jason were laughing hysterically as Chad dug deep into his pocket and pulled out the box of condoms. "Here, buddy; have a condom, old pal. Enjoy it. Hell, why not see Sharpay and ask her if she would like some of your delightful crème-brulee. I'm telling you, Dude, this whole baking thing makes you a total chick magnet. You know, I think she's around…"

The dreamy expression was back on Zeke's face and he let out a small sigh. "She's here?" Chad and Troy both nodded slowly with smiles on their faces.

"You go get her, my friend." Chad's arm went around Zeke's shoulders and he started to coax him in the direction of the kitchen. "You know, if you need a room for later on, my parents are away…"

As Zeke started to make his way towards the kitchen in search of Sharpay, Troy folded his arms and shook his head at Chad, who just shrugged his shoulders. "You know, Chad, this is your night tonight. Enjoy it."

"I am." Chad responded with another shrug of his shoulders. "What you say that for?"

"Well, I know tonight's a big deal for you and Taylor and you're obviously nervous-"

"Woah." Chad interrupted his friend. "I am not nervous."

"So then why are you so desperate for the rest of us to have sex tonight?"

Jason raised his hand. "I'm just desperate to have sex."

Troy and Chad ignored Jason's comment, having endured the last five years dealing with Jason's off-topic comments and random thoughts. Chad stood up close to the guy he considered to be his brother and suddenly put on a serious face. "I'm not desperate for you guys to get it on too. I just thought it was about time you did."

"So, it's got nothing to do with the fact that you're nervous?"

"I'm not!"

"Dude, chill." Troy patted Chad's shoulder. "I'm only saying that you shouldn't be nervous because its something you and Taylor want. It'll be okay."

A smile suddenly came back on Chad's face. "Bolton, I have no reason to be nervous. I know for a fact that everything will be in tip-top shape."

"How do you know?" Jason spoke up; his words almost ruining the moment. He didn't see the glare that Troy was shooting him in an attempt to shut him up. "What if it all goes disastrously wrong? What if you can't even get har-"

"Okay. Cross." Troy pointed a finger in Jason's face. "You seriously need to close your mouth before something 'accidentally' smashes into it." Jason automatically closed his mouth and nodded obediently. Troy turned his attention back to Chad who was mouthing empty threats in Jason's direction. "Dude, why do you have no reason to be nervous?" Troy was suddenly intrigued by Chad's statement; seen as how he was already nervous as hell about even _telling _Gabriella that he loved her. Where did Chad's sudden confidence come from?

"Dude," Chad grinned. "I'm wearing my lucky underpants."

Troy's mouth opened and he froze on the spot. _Lucky underpants?_ Jason was nodding his head enthusiastically and he and Chad punched their knuckles lightly together in a friendly gesture. Troy's brow furrowed as he struggled with the concept of his best friend owning lucky underpants. "Lucky…underpants."

Chad patted Troy's shoulder. "Dude, my cousin swears by them."

"Please don't tell me you're wearing your cousin's lucky underpants… I'll commit suicide right now if you do."

Chad shook his head and laughed as Troy's face continued to bear an expression of pure bewilderment. "No, no; I've got _my _lucky underpants on. I asked my cousin for some manly advice and he told me to get some lucky underpants. Apparently, they never fail."

"Yeah." Troy let out a sigh and an amused look came onto his face. "I'm sure they'll be a total babe magnet. They're not Spider-Man ones are they?"

"No!"

"Pokemon?"

"Hell, no!"

"Dude…you haven't got your favourite Daffy Duck ones on, have you?" Troy was laughing as Chad looked at though he was about to explode as his face turned red with embarrassment. Jason was laughing hysterically behind Troy and a few other party-goers had overheard Troy's comments and were now listening in to hear more.

Chad stepped closer to Troy and spoke through gritted teeth. "My _secret_ Daffy Duck pants and no, I'm _not_ wearing them!"

Troy pretended to think it over; trying to hide a smirk. "You're not wearing your bright orange ones are you? You know the ones with a big squirrel on the front saying 'Protect Your Nuts'?"

Everyone who had been listening in suddenly burst into fits of laughter. Chad's face couldn't get any redder and he could have easily passed as a tomato. His eyes widened and bore into Troy who couldn't contain himself any longer and joined in with the group. "Bolton, it is disturbing that you know so much about my pants!"

"It's not my fault your Mom hangs them up on the washing line outside when we're throwing hoops. Zeke's seen them all too – in fact I'd say ninety-five percent of the team have seen your duds and are mentally traumatised." Before Chad could come up with a swarve comeback to get even with his friend, Taylor poked her way through the crowd.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Chad shook his head quickly in Troy's direction and behind Taylor's back and Troy caught the hint; instantly wiping the smile from his face.

"Just the old basketball talk."

Taylor rolled her eyes and slipped am arm around Chad's waist. "Did you see Ryan arrive?" she asked.

"No." Chad's eyes started to dart around the room. "Evans is here?"

"Yeah. In the dining room with everyone else. He wants to talk to you." Chad quickly sprinted away and headed towards the dining room.

As Taylor went to follow, Troy nudged her. "So, Chad doesn't seem nervous about tonight. Are you?"

Taylor winked. "No way, Basketball Boy. I've got my lucky underwear on." Troy and Jason didn't get chance to laugh until Taylor started to sprint after her boyfriend. Troy and Jason chuckled at one another as they both relived the last five minutes of embarrassing Chad before slowly following.

Troy stopped in his tracks and watched. There Ryan Evans was, his hands on Gabriella's waist, twirling her around the room as she giggled uncontrollably with his bright red hat sat on her head. Their friends were gathered around them, laughing along as Ryan continued was sway dangerously close, his tight grip keeping her in place. Where his hands were situated looked innocent enough, but Troy didn't like it. Jason didn't seem to notice that his team mate was no longer beside him and he walked towards the crowd, greeting the girls and finally Ryan, who stopped dancing to greet both him and Chad. Troy felt a slight twinge of jealousy as his best friend practically pulled Ryan into a friendly hug and banged their knuckles together. Ryan still had a grip on Gabriella's hand and she, in turn, did not seem to want to pull away.

Troy knew that Ryan and Chad had bonded and become friends during the summer break at Lava Springs whilst competing in the staff baseball tournament. Ryan had also taught Chad to dance and had managed to turn Chad's views about talent shows and musicals. The blonde drama enthusiast had managed to get through to Chad in a way that Troy couldn't. And Troy didn't like it.

As for Gabriella, Troy was certain that Ryan harboured some feelings for her. They too had bonded during the baseball game and again during the talent show rehearsals. And Gabriella was always raving about how much Ryan had stepped out from Sharpay's shadow and become his own person – about what a fantastic friend he had turned out to be, even after he and Sharpay had plotted to ruin their chances to audition for the winter musicals.

Troy couldn't stop watching, suddenly feeling like an outsider as Ryan started to show Chad and Jason the dance he and Gabriella had just mastered; Gabriella following his lead perfectly whilst still giggling. Troy shook his head as thoughts he didn't even want to think started to enter and corrupt his mind. He trusted Gabriella; he knew she'd never cheat on him…

_Stop overreacting, Bolton; they're only dancing and Gabi wouldn't do that anyway…_

Jess McLean had noticed the change in Troy's expression and she cast her eyes to what e was staring at before smirking and making her way towards him. He didn't seem to notice that she was stood right next to him, following his gaze and trying to keep the scheming, evil look off her face. "Well, would you look at that?" She smiled, not looking up at Troy who had sighed upon realising her presence beside him. "A freaky drama kid and a freaky genius girl. Makes _a lot_ more sense than a Wildcat superstar and a freaky genius girl. Don't you think?"

Troy looked heavenwards. "What are you going on about, Jess?"

"Ryan and Gabriella. They look like such a good couple, don't they? Everyone thinks so. Even your team mates seem to agree." She hinted towards Chad, Zeke and Jason who were clapping and laughing along as Ryan attempted to teach Gabriella a new dance move that involved her being lifted into the air and being spun around.

Troy sighed, pretending to be unfazed by her words. "Whatever, Jess." He mumbled and cast his eyes elsewhere, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat. "I'm going out to shoot some hoops."

Jess folded her arms and grinned to herself as Troy bounded through the endless crowds and towards the front door; quite clearly taken in by her words.


	9. Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad

**NINE – Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad**

Gabriella was laughing hysterically as Ryan twirled her around at such a speed that his hat fell forwards on her head and covered her eyes. Her lack of vision was causing her to get dizzy so she slowly pushed Ryan away and lifted the hat back up; trying to get her bearings back. Ryan, out of breath and grinning profusely, took a small bow as Zeke, Martha, Jason, Chad, Taylor and Kelsi clapped enthusiastically. As her mind stopped spinning, Gabriella took a courtesy and started to clap as Ryan pulled Chad to the centre of the small circle.

"You want me… to do that?" Chad face spoke volumes about how impossible he thought the dancing would be for him. "Sorry to break this to you, Evans, but I'm not up for embarrassing myself on stage."

"It's only a short number." Ryan explained. "The big dance numbers are reserved for Jason and Martha."

"I can't dance like that!" Jason exclaimed. "Please tell me you're not thinking of getting me to dance like that."

"No, no; just Chad and Taylor. And just the one dance." Ryan grinned in Gabriella's direction and took his hat back and placed it on his head. He couldn't explain why, but he always felt naked if he didn't have a hat on his head.

Chad took in a gulp of air and looked over at Taylor, who looked very excited at the prospect of being taught how to dance like that. "I haven't even said I'd sign up for Darbus' 'circus' show yet." He tried to ignore the fact that he actually did want to sign up, having already made his mind up about the whole idea. "The Lava Springs show was great but Darbus… if I spend all my time rehearsing for Twinkle Towne Part Two with Darbus constantly on my back, I'll need counselling before we graduate!"

"It's not going to be Twinkle Towne Part Two." Gabriella put in. "Ryan and Kelsi have full direction over the show. Darbus will just be there supervising. I'm telling you, this show is going to be absolutely amazing with these two geniuses at work. You've got to sign up, Chad." For extra effect, Gabriella put on her best pout – a pout she used for special occasions when she wanted Troy to give in during another one of their petty arguments. It always worked like a charm.

Taylor tugged on Chad's arm a little too aggressively, nearly pulling it out of its socket. "Come on, Chad! We'll get our own _dance number_!"

"Yeah," Chad nodded. "That's the bit I'm worried about!" He suddenly pictured the entire Wildcats basketball team witnessing him falling flat on his face on stage and cringed.

"Why you worried? You can dance; you've proved that." Ryan joined in with Gabriella and Taylor – his urge to convince Chad just as strong. "I'll teach you both everything you need to know and wall-ah!" He snapped his fingers in true show biz style. Chad tilted his head from left to right a few times, his teeth gritted as he toyed with the idea. Ryan, Taylor and Gabriella slowly leaned forward, scared that they wouldn't hear his answer over the loud music.

"Er…maybe…" he finally answered, causing the three of them to jump up and down on the spot excitedly. "Woah! Woah! I said _maybe_. That doesn't mean 'yes'. It doesn't mean 'no'. I'll think about it."

Ryan patted his back eagerly. "That's all we need for now." Upon hearing Chad's answer, Martha and Kelsi joined in on the short celebrations before pulling Ryan back towards them.

"What do you have in mind for me?" Martha asked, starting to dance her infamous hip-hop moves. "Please say something I can really jam with."

As Ryan started to follow Martha's lead, Gabriella pulled Chad and Taylor closer to her. "Where did Troy go off to?" She asked, scanning the room quickly.

Chad shrugged. "Maybe the pink jellies found him. Maybe he's passed out somewhere."

Taylor giggled and lightly nudged her friend. "That's not a good sign. Especially if you were hoping he'd tell you tonight."

Chad folded his arms and shook his head. "I can't believe you told her, Tay. After you _promised_ me."

"I never promised anything, Danforth, and you know it. Besides, she needed to know after all the stressing she's been doing over him."

"She's been stressing over Troy? About what?"

"Hello?!" Gabriella waved her arms frantically in front of her friends. "_She_ is stood right here and _she_ can speak for herself!"

"So…_she_," Chad looked at her with an amused smile. "Why are you stressing over my captain?"

Gabriella sighed aloud and looked upwards. "Look, it's really not a big deal. I-"

"Troy won't give up the goods." Taylor interrupted, causing Gabriella's mouth to open wide in shock. "And she wanted to know why and when you told me what Troy had told you, I _had_ to tell her to reassure her. I was being a great friend."

"A great friend who blurts out my private life?" Gabriella crossed her arms and looked to the ground bashfully. "Thanks a lot."

"Woah, woah, woah," Chad stopped Taylor from responding to Gabriella's comment; a large smile on his face and a look of disbelief in his eyes. "Let me get this thing straightened out. Troy loves you. You love Troy. You know Troy loves you but he doesn't know you love him which is why he's scared to tell you because he thinks you won't say it back…"

"He _thinks_ that?" Gabriella was stunned, not believing that Troy would actually assume that she wouldn't say it back. _What? Does he think I'll throw it back in his face and storm off?_ "Why the hell would he think that? Of course I love him-"

"Wait, wait; I'm still trying to work this thing out." Chad stopped her. "And you want to have sex and so does Troy. But he's holding back because he wants to tell you he loves you. But he's scared that you won't say it back so he's taking his time so he can build his confidence… but until he does you guys won't have sex even though you both want it and… oh god, I've got muddled up." Chad crossed his eyes and pretended to stab himself over and over again with an imaginary knife. "Will you two just get it together, already? You're both driving me crazy!"

Gabriella blushed a deep crimson and put her face into her hands with a groan. Taylor wrapped an arm around her shoulders sympathetically. "It's not her fault her boyfriend moves at a glacial pace. If he goes any slower, he'll be going backwards."

"That really helps, Tay." Gabriella responded sarcastically.

"Why don't you just tell him, Gabs?" Chad suggested with a look on his face like he'd thought up the best idea in the world. Like nobody else had suggested the obvious…

"She wants him to say it first." Taylor answered as Gabriella went to open her mouth to speak.

"You know, I said that without even moving my lips." Sarcasm and embarrassment was not a good look on Gabriella Montez.

Taylor ignored her comment. "I thought that she could seduce him and then he would get so horny that he would just come out and say it. What do you think?"

Chad scratched his chin. "Well, I can't say I've ever seduced Troy Bolton so I wouldn't really know if that would work… Oh!" He clapped his hands together. "She could flirt with loads of other guys and make him really jealous!"

Taylor opened her mouth to answer but Gabriella stopped her. "Just quit it, you two! I'll wait for him to say it and everything will happen when we're both ready for it. I can sort out my own love life, thank you very much. And _please_ stop referring to me as 'she' when I'm stood right here!"

"That's boring." Chad and Taylor answered together and they pouted and rolled their eyes.

"I'm going to look for him," Gabriella declared and smirked at their expressions. "Did anyone ever tell you guys that you're perfect for each other?" She turned on her heel, leaving the secretly besotted couple alone to do some serious making out. Gabriella squeezed her way through the crowds, ignoring suggestive remarks from drunk guys and out-of-tune singing from the 'skater dudes'. She saw Sharpay sneaking a taste of Zeke's crème-brulee that was resting on the kitchen counter and then try and hide the pleasure she felt in that first bite. Jess McLean and the rest of her cheerleading posse were hanging by the stereo, flicking through Chad's records and not liking what they had found. When Jess looked up and caught sight of Gabriella, she smiled at her in an obvious sarcastically-nice kind of way and Gabriella knew that girl was definitely up to something.

She began to get worried when she ended up back in the dining room where her friends were still dancing and Chad and Taylor were still making out for the world to see. Still no sign of Troy… Gabriella started to walk around again, entering the hallway where she saw that the security light was on outside. She suddenly remembered the basketball net Chad had nailed to the top of his garage and realized that if Troy was going to be anywhere, he'd be somewhere near to a basketball hoop.

She was right… She opened the front door and saw Troy dribbling the basketball on Chad's empty driveway; his gaze focused on the hoop above him. Gabriella smiled and leaned against the doorframe, watching as her man took perfect aim… and missed. Gabriella frowned as Troy let out a loud frustrated groan and angrily picked up the ball and tried again. He missed the next shot. And the next. In a rage, he picked up the ball and threw it angrily at the garage doors and put his hands over his face and tried to slow down his breathing.

Gabriella started to walk towards him, the worry clear on her features as she approached him. "Wildcat?" Troy let his hands fall from his face and he looked at her with those piercing blue eyes. Gabriella took his hands in hers and laced their fingers together; her eyes searching his face for any clue as to why he was acting this way. "Are you okay?"

Troy cleared his throat. "I'm…fine… I just…" he paused. "I needed to get out of there."

Gabriella ran the back of her fingers along his cheek and Troy could feel himself succumbing to her touch. He closed his eyes as her fingertips traced his cheek and jawline. "You're lying." Gabriella whispered and tapped the tip of his nose with a small smile. "Don't lie to me, Troy Bolton."

Troy let go of her hands and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her up close to his body. Gabriella was confused by his actions, but enjoyed his embrace, feeling more safe and secure than she'd ever felt in her life. She opened her mouth to speak, but could not find the words as Troy gently pressed his face to hers, their foreheads rested against each others and his nose gently grazed her cheek. As he closed his eyes and melted into the embrace, Gabriella wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, caressing the back of his neck with her thumb. _Is he going to tell me now?_ Her eyes shot open and her heart started pumping wildly.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong, Wildcat?" Gabriella whispered, trying to coax his eyes to open by giving him soft Eskimo kisses; knowing how much he loved it when she rubbed her nose against his.

Troy paused for a few seconds and Gabriella bit her lip in anticipation. "I… It's… It's nothing." He finally answered and Gabriella couldn't hide her disappointment.

"You can't tell me?" Her fingers started to thread into his hair. "I thought you could tell me anything."

Troy let out a small sigh and finally opened his eyes, their faces still pressed together. "It's just me being stupid, that's all. Everything's okay."

Gabriella pulled away from him slightly at that comment and her eyebrows knitted together. "Tell me."

Troy started to blush and he avoided her eyes. Gabriella shook her head and lifted his chin up with her index finger, forcing him to look at her. "I saw… you and Ryan…dancing…"

Gabriella still looked confused. "And?"

Her nonchalant tone was like an alarm going off uncontrollably in his mind; the alarm blaring out _'How Could_ _You Be So Stupid, Bolton?!' _His face was now a maroon colour and he knew that he had started to dig himself into a very deep hole. A hole that he was going to have a lot of trouble getting out of.

"And?" Gabriella pressed; her voice alone showing how annoyed she was starting to get.

Troy tried to speak without getting tongue-tied. "Well…I…I just saw… and then I thought… Actually I have no idea what I thought. But then Jess came over and said-"

"Wait." Gabriella held a hand up to stop him and Troy prepared himself for the verbal battering he was sure to get. "Did you just use the phrase 'Jess said' in a sentence?"

Troy's stomach sank as he realised his girlfriend's very good point. "…Might have…"

"You saw Ryan and I dancing and Jess said… what?" She gestured with her hands for him to continue and Troy grimaced inside, suddenly wishing he had not listened to the scheming cheerleader in the first place. He scrunched his face up and tried to smile, but Gabriella did not look like she was in the mood to play lovey-dovey games with him. Instead, Troy buried his face in her neck and held her close. "Well?" she moaned in annoyance as she tried to push him away with no success.

"She said the whole school thinks you and Ryan make a perfect couple and that you make more sense then we do." His words were muffled by her neck, but Gabriella heard every word. She held his shoulders and harshly pushed him off her and stepped out of his embrace.

"And you _listened_?"

"I didn't! I told her to leave me alone… in a way. And I came out here to play basketball and-"

"You've missed every shot because of _her_? Because of what she said, you couldn't even concentrate on your game?"

"…I wasn't paying that much attention…" Troy reached out to grasp a hold of her again, but Gabriella took another step back.

"Troy, you _never_ miss a free throw. Never. Except when your mind is elsewhere and something is bothering you. I can't believe you don't trust me." Gabriella turned to walk away, but Troy reached out and grasped her arm and pulled her back towards him.

"Of course I trust you, Gabi." His hand went to cup her cheek. "I told you I was just being stupid for listening to that wench. I swear I'm not thinking you and Ryan are… doing anything." Gabriella's face went back to shock mode. "I know you, Gabi, and I know you'd never hurt me so can we please just kiss and make-up real quick and forget all about this stupid night?"

Gabriella's face softened and she looped her arms back around his neck. "Why don't you men ever think before you act?"

Troy rubbed his nose against hers; giving her his own Eskimo kiss. "Because Taylor's right when she says women are the dominant sex and that all men need to be educated by the alpha female? Educate me, Gabi…"

Gabriella chuckled. "Well, I can't disagree with you on that one."

"So…are we okay?"

Gabriella kissed him softly, melting as his lips stroked hers gently. "We're okay. Well, until you screw up again."

Her lips crashed against his with raw passion, her arms holding onto him so tight, it was a wonder that he could still breathe. Troy responded to the kiss without delay and wrapped his arms around her legs so he could pick her up. Gabriella lifted herself up and wrapped her legs around his waist; neither of them breaking the passionate kiss that made their stomachs spin wildly out of control. Troy smiled against Gabriella's mouth as he slowly started to spin her around; but she didn't seem to notice and let out a small groan against his mouth as his smile made it very difficult for her to pry his lips apart and caress his tongue with hers.

"Hey, Gabi?" Troy breathed as he pulled away; their lips still only millimetres apart.

"Hmm?" She answered, her eyes focused on his kiss-swollen lips. She was desperate to kiss him again…

"I…" He paused and closed his eyes with a heavy sigh. This caused Gabriella to snap her head back and look directly at him. _This is it…_ She bit her lip again as his eyes opened. "I…I just wanted to tell you…"

"Yeah…?" She rasped, holding onto him that little bit tighter.

"I need to ask…actually. Will you be my date to the fall ball?" As he got the words out, Gabriella tried to hide the disappointment by hugging him softly.

"Who else would I go with?" She kissed his ear as she spoke. "I thought it was pretty obvious, Wildcat."

Troy clenched his eyes shut, silently cursing himself for chickening out again at the last minute. "Just… I just wanted to make sure, that's all."

Gabriella let out a small laugh. "Well, that's one issue out of three sorted," she mumbled.

"Huh?" Troy frowned as she pulled back and looked at him.

"Nothing." She replied before resuming the kiss and drowning in the sheer brilliance of it. Nobody could kiss like Troy Bolton. He made no move to place her back on the ground; she was so light, he could have stayed like that with her in his arms all day.

_God, I love him so much…_ Gabriella thought as the kiss became hungrier and more urgent. And just knowing that he felt the same way too made her feel like the happiest woman on the planet. Sparks flew; electricity passed between them… and all the while they were in their own little world where nothing or nobody could get them down.


	10. Fluff 'n' Stuff

**TEN – Fluff 'n' Stuff**

It was a mystery to the majority of the party-goers as to why the police hadn't yet shown up and thrown everybody out; due to the loud music that was still playing past one o'clock in the morning. The snacks and alcohol were still in good supply and that alone made a few people wonder whether the party would ever end. For Chad; he didn't really care. After a few glasses of punch and about five or six pink jellies, his tipsy mind was now focused on his girlfriend, who was dancing in front of him; her hips swaying with the rhythm of the music pumping out of the stereo speakers.

This was a side to Taylor McKessie that Chad had never seen before. In fact, over the last nine months, he had seen a lot of different sides to Taylor that he never even knew existed. A year ago, he despised her; she was part of the genius clique, who every year took part in East High's Scholastic Decathlon to showcase their intellectual minds. Taylor and her posse had made their hatred towards the jocks quite obvious over the last few years at school – and her sarcastic comments during class (particularly about Chad) often got her into trouble. If not for Troy and Gabriella bending the rules of high school status, Chad would never have known the real Taylor McKessie – this funny, brainy, caring and sexy girl who lit up his life. Not that he would say that out loud though. Troy would have a field day if Chad Danforth suddenly turned soppy and mushy.

There were quite a few couples crowded in the middle of the living room-turned-dance floor; the furniture had been moved right to the edges of the room to make space for all the loved up couples of East High to dance the night away. Ryan had taken Kelsi under his wing, teaching her a few steps that matched the beat of the music. Kelsi had gained a lot of confidence over the last few months, but it seemed that dancing would take its time with her self-esteem. Jason and Martha were bopping along to some imaginary tune – probably hip-hop from the moves they were doing. Zeke was leaning against the doorframe looking bored and every so often turning to look at Sharpay, who was stood against the wall at the other side of the room watching her brother have fun with the people she considered her enemies. Troy and Gabriella were dancing beside Chad and Taylor, laughing at some inside joke and sharing the odd kiss every now and then. Troy was deliberately singing out of tune along with the music, causing Gabriella laugh uncontrollably at him. She clung to him, her fingertips gently caressing the back of his neck as she stared into his eyes with a bright smile on her face.

Chad pointed out the couple to Taylor; who latched herself to her boyfriend as they both mimicked Troy and Gabriella's actions with crossed eyes and exaggerated puckered-up lips. Troy and Gabriella didn't notice their friends taking the mick out of them and as they leaned in for another kiss, Chad and Taylor deliberately spun into them, knocking them so they nearly fell over and interrupting yet another kiss.

"Ow!" Troy rubbed his shoulder before slipping his arm around Gabriella's waist and pulling her up so she was standing straight again. "Chad? What the hell was that for?"

Chad grinned and pulled Taylor closer to him as they resumed their dancing. "Sorry, Pal; I didn't see you both there."

"You're such a liar, Danforth." Troy hissed as Taylor tried to muffle a giggle. "Prepare to die."

"Woah, woah!" Taylor laughed, latching onto Chad's biceps as the two boys went to play fight in the middle of the dance floor. "We were only having a little fun. You can't deny us of that."

"I thought you were having your fun later." Gabriella put in, turning Troy back around so he faced her. Her arms wound around his neck again and they ignored Taylor's shocked, open-mouthed expression in response to that comment.

"Touché." Chad laughed and gently patted Troy's shoulder. Taylor thankfully saw the funny side and pulled Chad back towards her and continued to dance.

"Don't we have the best friends in the whole world?" Troy sighed, pulling her closer and resting his forehead against hers as they gently swayed to the music.

Gabriella smiled. "With the best timing in the world." She added her own little bit of sarcasm.

Troy laughed at her and quickly spun her around before leaning down to kiss her again…

"Troy! I have pink jellies just for you!" Jason interrupted before their lips could touch and thrust a tray filled with small cubes of pink vodka-filled jellies under Troy's nose. "Now its tradition at every party for you to have the first pink jelly and here you go." He picked one up and pushed into Troy's face. Troy held his hands up and pushed Jason's arm away slowly.

"No thanks, Jase; I'm going to pass on the pink jellies tonight."

Jason's face bore a look that said 'my life no longer makes sense of Troy Bolton refuses pink jellies' and attempted to pass the tray over. Troy shook his head and pushed it back again. Chad witnessed the small scene and with Taylor close at his side, he strode towards his team mates and picked up a jelly.

"Bolton, did you just refuse a jelly?" He asked incredulously. "We had them brought in just for you…"

Troy shook his head and stepped back a little, trying to get back the space that the two boys had taken up. "You did not make those things up just for me."

"But you haven't drunk anything all night! Gabs has." Chad pointed at Gabriella who gave off an innocent look. "It's just not a party without you getting drunk on these babies."

"You don't need me to get drunk to make this party good. We're all having a good time, right?"

"Yeah. But…" Jason sighed and finally lowered the tray. "It's not the same…"

Gabriella folded her arms and stepped closer into the small circle that the three boys had created. "What is the big deal about Troy having a pink jelly?"

Jason and Chad's faces lit up and they both looked at each other with open and excited mouths; telepathically arguing over who would get to answer _the_ question. Troy, meanwhile, covered his face with his hands and groaned aloud as Chad stepped forward to speak.

"What is the big deal?" He grasped Gabriella's upper arms. "_What is the big deal?!_ This guy is absolutely _hilarious _when he gets drunk on these things! He gets so out of it, that he'll literally do anything you want him to do – it's like having a robot you shout commands to and then it does it. One time, Zeke asked him to dance the funky chicken. So Troy dances the funky chicken-"

"I can't believe you've brought up the funky chicken fiasco…" Troy groaned and avoided Gabriella's very amused face.

"And then Jason asks him to twirl around until he got really dizzy and then try and walk in a straight line… so Troy does it. Just like that!" Chad clicked his fingers for effect. "We also got him to try a free throw and that went disastrously wrong… And then there was the time we told him to try and do a break dance… and that was nearly fatal…" Chad laughed at Troy's very crimson face and then turned back to Gabriella who was laughing as she tried to picture these events. "And at the end of the night, you can always count on him passing out in some stupid place – like the time he passed out in a bathtub- and not remembering a thing the next day. Thankfully, he has caring and generous friends like us to remind him… Over and over again."

"Yes. Very kind. Very caring. Very Generous." Troy pushed past the guys and slipped an arm back around Gabriella's waist. "Now that you've embarrassed me big style in front of my girlfriend, can we please change the subject now? Because there's no way I'm even going to _touch_ one of those things ever again."

"Why?" Gabriella chuckled, nudging him. "I'd really like to see that."

Troy turned to her and raised an eyebrow with a small, but serious smile. "I'm sorry to say, Miss Montez, that you'll _never_ see me like that. Not now. Not ever." Troy turned back to his friends and grasped Gabriella's waist tighter before pulling her up close. "Now, boys, go on with your business so I can get back to kissing my beautiful girlfriend."

Chad made a vomiting expression and laughed as he turned back to Taylor and a very disappointed Jason slowly walked away with the tray of jellies. Troy ignored their remarks and his attention was completely back on his girlfriend as she raised her hand and curled it around the side of his neck, bringing him closer to resume the kiss that had already been interrupted twice. Their lips barely touched when Zeke came over and separated them.

"Dude! You're not having any pink jelly?! I thought up _three_ things for you to do and everything! How could you take that away from me?"

"Zeke, re-phrase these words into a well-known saying: 'off', 'piss'. Got it?"

Zeke feigned hurt. "You take away a hilarious night _and_ you turn completely mean!" He turned on his heel and walked away, mumbling obscenities. As Troy groaned aloud in frustration, Chad poked his head over his friends shoulder.

"Care for a room?"

Troy was about to boil over again, but Gabriella stopped him. "Yes, please." She answered Chad through gritted teeth. That answer made Troy do a double-take and Chad nod his head slowly with the biggest grin imaginable. He patted Troy's shoulder and wiggled his eyebrows as Gabriella latched onto her boyfriend's hand and began to pull him off the dance floor. "Where are we going, Chad?" Gabriella demanded as they reached the kitchen. Troy felt as though he was going to die of embarrassment.

"Well," Chad patted his chin in thought. "There _was_ my parent's room – but that's just been taken. By Jess and some guy. Oh, Troy! That's it… Jess wanted me to tell you that she's hooked up with some random dude."

"And as you can see I'm very upset and jealous." Troy ran his hands down his face slowly, the sarcasm clear in his tone.

"Look," Gabriella sighed aloud and stepped in front of Chad. "All I want is a little bit of privacy with my boyfriend. With _no_ interruptions whatsoever. So, what's free?"

"There is the Treehouse…"

"Treehouse?"

"No." Troy interrupted before Chad could respond. Gabriella looked at him before holding his hand and dragging him towards the back door.

"I _will_ have you to myself tonight, Troy Bolton. And if that means making out in a Treehouse, then so be it!" The determination in her voice was obvious and Troy couldn't help but laugh as she dragged him into the back garden and made her way towards the large tree at the end of the garden with an average-sized wooden house built amongst the branches. Wooden planks had been nailed to the truck to act as a ladder and Gabriella started to climb without saying a word. Troy couldn't believe the situation he was now in, and he knew Chad and Taylor were watching them from an upstairs window. "Are you coming?" Gabriella called back as she reached the top and crawled through the small entrance. Troy followed, thinking that the last time he was in this Treehouse was when he and Chad were thirteen and had decided that the Treehouse was no longer cool. As he crawled inside, Gabriella pulled him towards her and engaged them both in a heated kiss.

"Mmph…Gabi…" Troy gently pulled away, only for Gabriella to wrap her arms around his neck and bring herself back towards him. In response, Troy moved his head further back so she could not reach his lips.

"Don't you start with the interrupting!"

"I'm not! I just…" he trailed off and gently cupped her cheek, his thumb sliding over her near-perfect cheekbones. "You're gorgeous." And he meant it. He could sit back and think about how beautiful his girlfriend was all day – her flawless skin; such a striking colour that contrasted so beautifully with his own. He remembered Sharpay telling him that they were 'skin-tone compatible' and now he knew the meaning of it perfectly. Her hair was a deep ebony colour and so soft that Troy loved to run his fingers through it over and over again. It was straight until half-way down her head when it settled into curls which bounced lightly with every movement that she made. And there was always that stray curl that would settle over her deep chocolate-brown eyes. No matter how many times Gabriella moved; no matter how long she spent with her curling irons, trying to position it so it couldn't get in the way of her vision; nothing ever seemed to work. And it always irritated her – as soon as that curl would bounce over her eyes, Gabriella would growl loudly and viciously brush it back and flick her hair so it rested on the top of her head. Troy loved that curl. And he relished the moments when it would fall down just so he could gently brush it away with his fingers and then run them through her hair. Her perfectly shaped eyebrows sat above those eyes that mirrored her soul; and as Troy would constantly gaze into them, he would smile upon seeing them sparkle – though, he had not yet realised that _he_ was the reason Gabriella's eyes sparkled. That they only brightened up when he was near her.

He loved her for everything that she was; and his insecure mind often tried to work out just how he'd managed to get with such an amazing girl. She was so intelligent; it often put him to shame! Her sense of humour was enough to send him over the edge in hysterical fits of laughter. And she was always so passionate with him; every touch sent tingles down his spine and made his heartbeat triple its normal speed. All Gabriella ever had to do was rub her button nose softly against his during another one of their Eskimo kisses and Troy would weaken at the knees. Her lips were always so tantalizing and inviting that he often found it difficult to _not _kiss her during formal occasions, in front of their parents or during a class. Her face was a perfect heart shape and he felt he could spend forever tracing every contour of it; sometimes in curiosity, he would try and find some imperfection and he always failed. And the best thing of all, it was _his_ necklace that sat around her neck. The silver chain with the letter 'T' resting at the bottom had been around her neck since the summer and to Troy, it just proved further that she was his. Gabriella also owned one of his basketball jerseys - with his name and number on the back – that she promised she would wear to every basketball game. She had also taken ownership of his white Wildcats warm-up jacket with his number on the back. Gabriella had insisted that she kept it because she wanted to show the world how much she supported her man – and the fact that it smelled of him comforted her during the night. Troy loved all of these things about her; and as he thought about them, he wondered just what it was about himself that Gabriella found so appealing. It was these thoughts that had eaten away at a part of his confidence – the part where he would be able to tell her all of these things and add 'I love you' at the end. There was nothing about himself that he found could be appealing to someone as perfect as her. And he was worried that his feelings for her out-weighed her own feelings – so much so, he was scared that he would frighten her away.

Gabriella moved closer to her beau and laced her fingers through his. "Why, thank you, Wildcat. You're not so bad yourself." She hummed softly and placed a lingering kiss on his lips. "In fact," her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and she gave him a quick Eskimo kiss before letting her voice drop low and husky. "You're positively delicious."

Her lips crashed onto his with bruising intensity. Troy barely had time to take a breath beforehand, but didn't complain as his arms latched around his tightly so she was almost sitting in his lap. He moaned deeply as her fingers tangled in his hair and pulled – the passion erupting from her almost becoming uncontrollable. Her tongue found its way into his mouth, and she began to explore every inch of his mouth before slowly massaging his tongue. Troy slowly rocked her backwards, so she was lying on her back. The cold, hard wooden floor didn't bother her as Troy pressed his weight on top of her, his fingers curling into her hair while her own grazed over his jawline.

Troy pulled away from her lips and they both took in a deep breath of air; yet not a moment went by as Troy's mouth dusted open-mouthed kisses along her cheek, down the length of neck and finally up and down her throat. He groaned as he heard Gabriella sigh in incredible pleasure and as her back arched, pressing her chest to his; his sucked air in through his gritted teeth. He'd never know how such a simple act could arouse him so much. Troy didn't realise their positions until his hand snaked lower to caress her leg; and he found that he was resting between her legs. Her left leg was bent; holding him in place as her foot slowly caressed the back of his calf. Her dress had hitched right up that practically nothing was left to the imagination and when Troy gently ran his hand up her leg and thigh, Gabriella let out a load moan and took a fist-full of his hair while the other hand ran down his back and under the hem of his shirt. She ran her hand agonisingly slow up and down his back while he continued to rain her neck with kisses, paying extra special attention to the base of her neck where he could feel her pulse racing against his lips. As he began to nip, Gabriella pressed her cheek against his ear with force, her moans not going unnoticed as her hot breath tickled his ear.

"Troy." She moaned again, gently biting down on his earlobe. As she moaned his name, Troy nearly tipped over the edge. The way she had said it was just so…erotic. He kissed his way back up to her mouth and after a long kiss; he pulled away slightly and looked down at her. Their breaths were jagged and out of control; their chests heaving as they struggled for oxygen.

"Gabi…" Troy breathed, running a fingertip down her face. Gabriella smiled her response and brushed locks of his hair off his forehead so she could see those blue eyes clearly. "I…" he breathed slowly, suddenly feeling a burst of confidence sweep over him. "Gabi-"

"Hey!" Zeke's over-excited voice was just like a bucket of ice cold water being thrown over them. "What are you guys up to?" He grinned and winked at them both as they glared at him; the moment now totally ruined. "You've got to see this…" he started to climb back down the ladder. "Chad and Ryan are arm-wrestling!"

"You interrupted us, for an arm wrestling contest?!" Troy shouted after his friend and started to get up. He was stopped by Gabriella pushing him back down and curling herself up beside him.

"Ignore them. Let's stay here."

Troy put his arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple softly. "One day, they are _seriously_ going to hell for having the worst timing in the world…"


	11. Losing The Plot

**ELEVEN – Losing The Plot**

It was only eleven o'clock on that next Monday morning, and Troy was already losing the will to live. Chad's party on the previous Friday night had been a blast – save for the brief jealousy-filled moment – and waking up the next morning with Gabriella fast asleep in his arms was amazing. He had managed to avoid the pink jellies, therefore saving himself another embarrassment episode that his friends would have surely talked about for the next hundred years. And even though his back ached like mad due to the fact that he and Gabriella had slept on the wooden floor of Chad's Treehouse, everything had felt perfect on that Saturday morning. That is, until he had heard Chad creeping up the ladder and then saw his bushy head peep through the small doorway. Gabriella had then woken up and Chad had talked over and over again about how it felt to finally be a 'man'.

Troy was happy for his friend – it was about time Chad Danforth settled with a girl that he was truly serious about. It may not have been obvious to the world, but Troy, for one, knew the extent of Chad's feelings towards Taylor – and now, after taking the final step in their relationship, they looked happier than ever. The downside was that Troy now felt the added pressure to take that step with Gabriella; and it didn't help that Chad and the rest of the Wildcats constantly asked him about it.

After they had cleaned the Danforth household from top to bottom – so the Danforth's would not even get an inkling of the previous goings-on – Troy had walked Gabriella home and after a long kiss on her front porch, he had left her to go home and shower. And that morning in homeroom was the first time Troy had seen her since walking her home on the Saturday morning. His weekend had been occupied by his Dad and coach working with him on his skills so he would be ready for the game while Gabriella had spent the Saturday evening at Taylor's to discuss her first time with Chad and the Sunday she had spent quality time with her Mom. It had been the longest they hadn't seen each other and the late night phone calls didn't compensate for it either.

After homeroom that morning, Troy had given his girlfriend a lengthy kiss before the free period practise started; emitting mocking groans from their friends. As he and his basketball buddies turned to walk in the direction of the gym, Troy had looked back to find Ryan Evans sprinting over to Gabriella before laughing with her and linking her arm with his. And he couldn't shake off that feeling that was unfortunately getting too familiar.

Now, standing stationary in the middle of the gym, absentmindedly dribbling a basketball; Troy could hear his Dad shouting orders to a few of his team mates who just weren't making the right moves. Beside him, Chad was giving his 'manly' speech about how fantastic life was; though Troy really wasn't listening. At the other end of the court, he heard Jess McLean and her cheerleader posse practising their cheers for the up-coming game; their spirit chants deliberately echoing around the gymnasium in order to get his attention.

"_Wildcats sing along! Yeah, we got a good thing going on! Wildcats, in the house; everybody scream and shout! Wildcats, everywhere! Wave your hands up in the air! That's the way we do it, let's get to it; time to show the world!"_

If he heard that chant one more time, he really felt that he would be able to cause a lot of bodily harm with his basketball. The cheerleaders always had practised their cheers in the courtyards outside, just so students who were innocently walking by would be able to hear them and think, '_Oh, I wish I was a cheerleader!_' Well, that's how Jess liked to think, anyway. No-one had the heart to tell her what they were really thinking.

"One more time, girls! From the top!" Troy squinted his eyes shut as Jess's booming voice reached his ears. He continued to dribble the ball before Chad effortlessly tackled it away from him; bringing him back to reality.

"Bolton, dude; what's with you today? Are you still asleep?" Chad asked, puzzled.

"I'm losing the plot." Troy sighed and wiped his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand. "Those cheerleaders are driving me mad."

"You and me both." Chad nodded over in their direction. As Troy followed his gaze, Jess blew him a kiss before showing him some fantastic back flip. "Hey." Chad lightly slapped Troy's shoulder and passed the ball back to him. "Ignore them. Get your head back in the game, Dude; your Dad is proper stressing over this!"

Troy cast his eyes over to where Jack Bolton was demonstrating another move to five other team mates. "Yeah. He's really driving me mad, too. It's the first game of the year; it's not _that_ big a deal."

Chad's eyes widened. "I think you'll find, it is! We kicked West High's asses last season, and I'm telling you, my friend; they're cooking up some sweet revenge. We need to be focused on this game so we can kick them when they're down. We can't let them beat us, Troy; so get focused!"

"Chad, I'm focused." Troy stated and threw the ball back over to his best friend. "Everything's just started to get on top of me."

"Why?" Chad started to dribble the ball as Troy let out a prolonged sigh.

"This is the last year of High School; this _is it_. This is the last year we'll be Wildcats, dude."

Chad dribbled the ball between his legs half a dozen times, then spun the ball on the tip of his index finger; clearly more attentive to his own basketball skills. "Which is why we need to majorly kick ass this year."

"It's not just that though, is it?" Troy snatched the spinning ball and tucked it under his arm. "We've got finals at the end of the year that will essentially kick start us into the future and then Darbus was talking about starting to apply to colleges…"

"Dude." Chad pinched the ball back. "You were actually listening to Darbus?" Troy rolled his eyes. "Look," Chad started to slowly dribble the ball again. "You worry way too much about stuff. You always have. You just need to chill. U of A will accept you on a basketball scholarship alone – you don't need to worry about finals."

"I'm not just a basketball guy, Chad. I want good grades at the end of this year. And, man, I _really _need to study."

Chad shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "So, you just get Gabriella to share some of that knowledge of hers. As long as you don't get distracted, this is. Just another plus side for us having fantastically intelligent girlfriends."

"Yeah…" Troy drifted off. "Gabriella…"

Chad could see that his friend's mind was elsewhere, and before he could click his fingers in front of his friend's face to bring him back to Planet Earth, Coach Bolton appeared behind his son; his whistle hanging loosely from his mouth.

"Problem, guys?" He asked, keeping the whistle firmly in place. The menacing and competitive look on his face made Chad back off slightly while Troy looked upwards - he was already used to dealing with his father when he was in one of these moods.

"No, Coach." Chad instinctively answered. "Just…talking about the pressures of High School…and… finals… and… college… and…"

"Girls." Jack finished off, looking at his son. "You talk during my practise; you make the time up at the end. We have a game to prepare for and if you guys haven't got your heads in the game-"

"Dad, our heads are in the game." Troy responded sharply, turning slightly to face him. "And I'm not staying behind after school – I've got plans."

Chad backed off again, seeing Jack's face harden as Troy slowly walked to the other end of the court and picked up a spare basketball with which he started to do free throws. "Chad. Go work on your footwork with Zeke and Jason." No more orders were needed as Chad quickly scuttled away to where his other friends were; glad to be at a safe distance away from World War Three.

Troy heard his father slowly approaching him as the ball swished through the net again and bounced back towards him. He didn't bother to turn around as Jack stood next to him with his arms folded. "And what was that about?" he asked in a quiet yet stern tone.

"Nothing."

"Don't tell me its nothing." Jack replied as Troy caught the ball again and aimed at the hoop above him. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong or are you going to continue to snap at me?"

"Dad." Troy sighed as he caught the ball again and tucked it under his arm. "I'm just starting to feel the pressures of being a senior, that's all. Chad and I were talking about what life's going to be like after school, okay?"

Jack rubbed his chin. "Why are you nervous? You'll easily get into the U of A – we've been working on this scholarship deal for weeks now, Troy. You're impressing a lot of people with your skills."

"Yeah, but it all depends on how I play this year."

"You're the Playmaker, son – you keep your head in the game this year and you'll literally fly into U of A. I know you've got to study for finals and I know grades are important but you're already sealing the deal with what you can do on that court."

Troy shook his head, feeling totally misunderstood and frustrated at the world. "Maybe I don't just want to get in based on my basketball."

Jack put a nervous smile on his face and crossed his arms over his torso. "What; don't tell me you're going to sign up for that Darbus show like those loon's are." He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb towards the rest of the team who were obediently practising their footwork skills and throws. They always knew that Coach was never too far away…

Troy frowned and looked over to his friends. "What are you talking about?"

"I caught Chad and Zeke signing up on the bulletin boards this morning. Harassed them over it – really gave them hell. I mean, we all know you can sing, son, but I never thought that Chad would…" he drifted off, smiling while shaking his head. "But they're adamant they're doing it – just as long as it doesn't get in the way of their game, I'm fine with it."

Troy lowered his head and put a hand over his eyes, not believing what he was hearing. Chad had said he wouldn't sign up for it… he was adamant that he wasn't going to be a part of it. The good thing about that was to ease some of the pressure away from Troy when everyone else ganged up and called them spoilsports. Had Gabriella signed up? Jack watched his son warily. "Are you thinking of signing up?"

Troy lifted his head and lowered his hand. "Would you be mad if I did?"

"No. No, but…" Jack wavered, his hands going to his hips. "You've just said yourself… you're stressed; everything's getting on top of you. You need to prioritise your life; figure out all the important stuff and put that first."

"And I suppose basketball tops that list…"

"I thought this _was_ important to you, Troy. It's your life."

Troy nodded. "Yes, Dad, it is important and it is my life. But it's not the only thing that is. This competitive streak you've got is on a whole new level and you're _pushing_. I don't need the extra pressure – I practise, I work hard. I love basketball but if you keep pushing it's going to completely change my view of it. I want to get into U of A on a basketball scholarship but with you straining me constantly its going to make it a lot harder. It's not the only thing in my life that I consider important."

"And Gabriella is?"

"Yes." Troy despised the look on his Dad's face when he answered.

Jack shook his head quickly, placing a hand on his sons shoulder but it was instantly shaken off. "Troy, come on; you know I like Gabriella-"

"No, actually I don't."

Jack ignored the sarcasm that had suddenly erupted from Troy's mouth. "She's a nice girl and your Mom and I can see how happy you guys are."

"Oh, really?" Troy lifted an eyebrow, not liking where this conversation was going.

"Yes, really. But you've been so focused on her over the past few months – it's like you can't do anything without thinking about her first. I suppose these plans you've got for tonight include her."

"So what if they have?" Troy's voice was beginning to rise. "Dad, I've told you before, Gabi is not a problem; and she's not the reason why I'm getting stressed. You're part of the problem and this conversation isn't helping."

Jack threw his arms in the air as he spoke, becoming more and more frustrated with his stubborn son. "But she is, Troy. You're worried about school, you're worried about college. You're worried about finals, and the scholarship… and your game. You're trying to make time for all of these things whilst at the same time; you're putting your girlfriend and your dates first. You had never missed a _single_ practise until you started seeing her. You're putting Gabriella before everything else and if you're not careful, it'll all come crashing down on you. I mean, how do you know what's going to happen in the future? What if you break up? What if you've put everything after her and then you break up and you're left with nothing?"

Troy gritted his teeth. "It's not going to happen."

"Troy, I know you're seventeen…hell, just about eighteen! You're growing up and I know you're not as naïve as you're sounding right now. And I hate patronising you but you're being stubborn. Now, I'm not saying you guys need to break up but I think you should back away from each other for a while and concentrate on your studies and your game. Secure all of that in place and if you both feel the same way afterwards…" Jack drifted off as Troy shook his head in disgust. Troy threw the ball carelessly towards the bleachers and started to make his way towards the exit of the gym. "Troy!" Jack called after his son, prompting the other Wildcats to stop what they were doing and watch the scene. "Troy!" Jack started to jog as Troy banged the door open. "Bolton! Practise is not over!"

No other words were exchanged as Troy slammed the door shut so hard that it sent a chilling echo around the gym.


	12. Yo, Romeo

**TWELVE – Yo, Romeo**

Troy slowly climbed up the tree with ease before latching himself to Gabriella's balcony railings and hoisting himself over the side. He grinned to himself as he landed on her balcony; inwardly praising himself for mastering the art almost effortlessly. He doubted Gabriella would be overjoyed at the concept, since she always worried that one day her mother would find out about Troy's little late night rendezvous.

He saw her through the French doors, lying on her stomach on her large bed, a pen in her hand and a textbook in front of her. She was wearing his white Wildcats training jacket with his number on the back and a pair of pyjama bottoms. Huge, purple, bunny slippers sat on her raised feet that were bending up and down to an unknown beat.

As Troy slowly opened the door and walked in, he saw Gabriella smile, though she did not look up. She really didn't need to.

"Yo, Romeo; you do know the front door is open, right?" She turned onto her right side, her head propped up by her elbow as she looked at him comically. She called him Romeo everytime he decided to enter her bedroom via the balcony and it had started not long after they had officially become boyfriend and girlfriend and Troy had surprised her with his late night callings. It was another one of their inside jokes, and he loved that they had so many between them.

"Yo, Juliet," came his usual reply. "I had to use thy balcony, since there was a huge, enormous beast guarding thy threshold." He laughed and sat himself down on her bed, bouncing softly on what he called the most comfortable mattress in the world.

"So draw thy sword…save me!" Gabriella rolled onto her back and splayed out her arms wide dramatically.

"Oh, I did, Fair Juliet. But thy dragon was so big and… scary… I decided to climb thy wall to reach thee."

Before Troy could add to the drama by taking her in his arms, Gabriella raised an eyebrow as she propped herself back up again. "A big and scary dragon guarding the threshold, ay? I'll tell Mom you said that."

Troy blinked. "What…? No. You know I didn't mean-" He paused when she started to giggle softly. "Oh, you're terrible, Montez." He picked up a pillow that was sat neatly at the top of her bed and gently hit her over the head with it. Gabriella laughed louder, taking the pillow from his grasp and lightly hit him back before discarding it on the floor. Troy, meanwhile, laid down on his stomach beside her and looked over at the textbook that was in front of her. "What'cha doing?"

"Trigonometry homework." Gabriella responded, picking up her pen again and starting to solve the next problem.

"Fascinating." Troy rolled his eyes and nudged her arm playfully.

"Isn't it?" Gabriella smirked again as she heard Troy groan inwardly beside her.

"No! Come on, Gabi; you said you would have all of this finished by now. We haven't seen each other all weekend and I need tender love and attention. I have needs." He pouted and nudged her again, loving the fact that he could make her laugh. He loved that he could put that beautiful smile on her face and make her giggle that soft cute girly giggle. And as she did, he forgot about what his Dad had said to him earlier; well, for the moment, anyhow.

Gabriella chuckled again when Troy rested his chin on her arm and lazily watched as she scribbled down a few more notes. "If you could tell the time properly, Bolton, you'd know that you've come here far too early. If you had stuck to the agreed time, we would not be in this situation, would we?"

"Fine." Troy sighed loudly. "Just hurry up and finish so we can make out already."

Gabriella laughed again and shook her head in amusement. Troy's chin continued to rest on her arm and he was watching her impatiently as she began to solve the last problem. She didn't need to be told twice; her brain started to work twice as fast to get the problem done so she could ravage her boyfriend for the rest of the evening. No interruptions – well, providing that her mother remained downstairs watching her soap operas. As she began to jot down her answers, Troy's chin left her arm and he started to place tiny kisses from her wrist to her elbow; slowly going back and forth to try and push her along. Gabriella closed her eyes briefly and her eyes looked down to watch him as he slowly moved the sleeve of her – well his – jacket further up her arm.

She swallowed quickly. "What are you doing, Bolton?"

Troy lifted his head and looked at his girlfriend as innocently as he could. "Nothing."

"You're not doing nothing; you're distracting me!" Gabriella put her pen down and looked at him questionably. "If you're bored, why don't you go see if my Mom has any of that ice cream left that you love so much." She could see that Troy was debating with himself over what to do. Instead of choosing the ice cream option, Troy wound his arm over her back and brought himself closer, placing light kisses against her neck and ear. "Yeah, because _that's_ not distracting!" Troy ignored her and put his other hand over hers, gently lacing his fingers through hers as he continued to kiss her.

Gabriella let out a groan and in one quick swipe; she pushed her textbook and notepad off the bed and let it fall in a messy heap on the floor. As it hit the carpet with a thump, Gabriella turned onto her back and pulled a grinning Troy over to her mouth, feeling the familiar tingling sensations curse through her as his lips massaged hers. As they pulled away briefly for air, Gabriella framed Troy's face and stared deep into those beautiful pools of blue. "Miss me?" She panted with a smile, mimicking Troy's infamous line. He smiled back his response and gently rubbed his nose against hers. Gabriella couldn't help but chuckle as her arms wound tighter around his neck. "Of course you did." She rolled her eyes; her fingertips running smoothly down his face as Troy began to sip her lips teasingly. Whenever she started to respond to his soft kisses, he would pull away and start all over again. Gabriella glared up at him, but he didn't seem to notice. His eyes were trained on her lips and he was concentrating on placing soft open-mouthed kisses on her bottom lip, then her top – never allowing her to deepen them and take control. "You're not playing fair, Wildcat." Gabriella muffled against his lips as she leaned her head up slightly to try and capture them. Troy only moved further away.

"Ssh." He cooed with a small smile, before placing a kiss on her chin. "I'm making a memory."

"Making a what?"

"A memory." Another small kiss was placed on her inviting lips. "I just want to remember every part of you, that's all."

Gabriella frowned, confused by his words. Her fingers remained against his face and she gently ran them over his kiss-swollen lips as he looked down at her. "Why? I'm not going anywhere, Wildcat."

Troy let out a breath and closed his eyes. His father's words were now running through his mind and he couldn't shake off the paranoia feelings. He did want to remember every inch of her, every contour of her features – the way her lips moved against his and they way her fingers caressed his skin. But now he realised that in admitting this to her would lead to questions and him being forced to repeat the conversation he had had earlier in the day with his father. "I…know…" he breathed. "I just don't want to…forget…"

The confusion was more obvious on Gabriella's features. "Forget what? Are you trying to tell me something?" She started to move out from under him, her eyebrows were knitted together as a clear sign on her confusion and her chocolate eyes bore into his.

Troy sat up and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration; knowing that his mouth always got him into trouble. Tonight would be no exception. "No, Gabi. I just… Okay, I'll admit it and don't laugh but I'm terrified of losing you."

That didn't ease Gabriella's confusion and she tilted her head to the right and shook her head slowly. "Lose me? To what? To who? Wildcat, you're really not making any sense here so you really have to help me out. What's wrong?" To further her point, she moved closer to him so their bent knees were touching. Her hands rested at the base of his neck, lightly grasping a hold of his blue polo shirt.

"Do you see us still together in say… five years time?" Troy finally gathered enough confidence to blurt out his question, fearing the answer almost immediately.

Gabriella shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, yeah, I do." She answered confidently. "Unless you're about to tell me something that would effectively force me to dump you."

Troy shook his head with a small smile, more than happy at her answer. "No, Gabi; I haven't been fooling around with anyone, I promise. I've just been thinking about the future and where it's going to take us and-"

"Troy Bolton." Gabriella prodded his chest accusingly with a mocking expression on her face; her initial worries long gone. "I thought me and you were going to think about right now. We agreed."

"I know, I know." Troy jokingly prodded her back. "But Darbus was talking about applying for college next year and then my Dad was on my back again today about the scholarship deal and how I need to prioritise my life. And then I started thinking about me and you… next year we won't be able to spend time together like we do now."

"Well, that goes without saying." Gabriella shrugged, moving herself so she was sat on his lap. Troy wrapped his arms securely around her waist and leaned into her as she rested her chin on the crown of his head. "But it doesn't mean we'll change. You're going to U of A. Me… I haven't decided yet. But wherever I go, it won't be far away and we'll see each other at every opportunity and then there're the phone bills we're sure to bankrupt ourselves with." Gabriella tenderly brushed locks of hair away from his forehead as he gazed up at her. "You worry too much, Wildcat. Just enjoy the moments."

Troy smiled at his girlfriend and tightened his grip around her. "So, you _really_ do see us together in five years time?"

"Of course."

"Ten years?"

"Sure."

"Fifty?"

"Oh." Gabriella pretended to think about it, scratching her chin and looking upwards. "I don't know if I could put up with you for fifty _whole_ years. Brad Pitt might find me before then."

Troy cocked an eyebrow in amusement as Gabriella shuffled in his lap. "Brad Pitt?"

"Yeah," she replied. "He's looking for me. As we speak he's searching the globe for little 'ole me. Angelina's only keeping him warm until he finds me."

"And then when he does, you'll cast me aside and break my heart whilst you and the lovely Brad start frolicking hand-in-hand over the Hollywood Hills?" Troy placed a hand over his heart. "You break my heart, Montez. How could you?"

Gabriella laughed and pressed her forehead against his, pushing his head back as she did so. "You'll have Angelina."

"Don't want Angelina. Want Gabriella." Troy pouted and caused her to giggle uncontrollably. "Seriously, what does the hot millionaire actor have that I don't?"

"You just answered your own question." Gabriella bit her lip to try and prevent her grin from getting wider. Troy pretended to be hurt at her words and when Gabriella showed no sign of backing down he began to tickle her sides. "No! No!" Gabriella screamed in laughter as Troy mercilessly tickled her sides, causing her body to move in different angles to try and get out of his grasp. "Troy, stop!"

Troy started to laugh as Gabriella's face began to get redder and redder and her laughter filled the room. When he heard her gasping for air, he stopped his antics and allowed her to catch her breath. Gabriella pushed her hair away from her face and heaved in deep breaths as she glared at her very amused boyfriend. Troy could see clearly in her eyes the revenge she was cooking up. When she finally composed herself, Gabriella crawled over to Troy and moved in to kiss his lips, and like a fool he fell for it – cursing himself inwardly as she laughed triumphantly before shoved her hands under his arms and tickling him in the place he was most ticklish. Troy started to laugh uncontrollably and Gabriella joined in upon seeing his reaction. He squirmed around the bed, trying desperately to get away from her but she was determined that he would pay for his teasing. She could see he was trying to speak to tell her to stop but the laughter pouring out of him made it impossible. Gabriella was near enough sat on top of him, her fingers working to the best effect under his arms – in fact, she was so focused on her task of payback that she didn't realise how dangerously close to the edge of the bed she was and as soon as she made a swift movement; she screamed and tumbled off the side of the bed and hit the floor with a bump.

Troy quickly sat up, out of breath and trying to compose himself as he looked over the edge to find his girlfriend in a heap on the floor. He started to laugh again, as much as the lack of oxygen would allow him to. "Are…you…okay?" he asked breathlessly, laughter still erupting from his throat. Gabriella sat up properly, face as red as beetroot. She attempted to put her tangled hair back into its normal place with no look and when she pouted in embarrassment and folded her arms, Troy fell back into fits of laughter. "Oh my god, Gabi!" He continued to chuckle at her beetroot face. "Are you okay? Oh god, you're so funny!" He laughed again as Gabriella finally stood up and rubbed her elbow that had suffered the most pain when she fell. She sat back on the end of the bed, trying not to look amused as Troy's laughter refused to subside. She folded her arms and again and waited patiently for him stop laughing and kiss her boo-boo better. His laughter had only subsided a little when he finally opened his eyes and watched her; the grin and chuckles declining to leave him. "God, I love you."

He only realised what he had said when he saw Gabriella's expression change into pure shock. Quick as a flash, she stood up and backed away from the bed slightly, her hand flying to her mouth and her eyes open wide. "What did you say?" She could only manage a gasp.

"Um…I…er…" Troy sat up, his own eyes as wide as saucers. "Well, I…" He was cursing himself inside – he hadn't meant to say it at that moment; he'd always pictured a really romantic setting when he'd said it in his mind. "I…" He tried to scan Gabriella's face but due to the shock it was unreadable, which for his part, made this a lot harder. "I _might_ have said… I love you… but we can forget I ever said if it's freaking you out." He paused. "It's freaking you out, isn't it?"

Gabriella took her hand away from her mouth, trying to find words. She knew this was coming and she was reacting to it more surprised than she thought she would have. "Well…yeah!" she answered, trying to keep her voice low but unable to take the squeaky sound out of it. "You've just told me you love me, I mean it's…it's…"

"Scary?" Troy filled in before tentatively standing up and taking one step closer to her. "If it scares you, Gabi, please, _please_ forget I said it. Because if it's scaring you and you suddenly decide you want us to take a break because we're going too fast here, I really will die."

Questions were filling her mind; questions she'd been thinking over since Taylor had revealed all to her. "How long have you known?"

Troy began to rub the back of his neck nervously. "I guess… on some level…all the time _but _I'm not expecting you to say it back, really. It doesn't have to be a big deal if it freaks you out."

Gabriella suddenly smiled brightly and she took a step closer to Troy. "Oh, it _does_ freak me out, Wildcat."

Troy looked confused as she took another step; slowly closing the gap between them. "In a…good way? Or a bad way?"

"Oh, definitely a good way." The gap between them finally closed and Gabriella put an arm around Troy's neck. Her other hand gently cupped his jawline and caressed the skin there as she felt him timidly put his own arms around her waist. She gently placed a kiss on his chin, mouth and nose before rubbing his nose softly with her own. Troy watched her and breathed softly as she did so, his grip around her suddenly getting tighter like he never wanted to let go. Gabriella looked deep into his eyes, her thumb gently ghosting over his lips. "I love you, Troy." It came out a whisper and Troy's eyes opened wide again, not really believing he had heard her right. But he didn't have time to question her. Her lips had gently pressed to his before he could get any words out and the kiss had started to become so intense that he didn't want to pull away. Their tongues danced slowly and seductively; each savouring the others taste and making their own memories to look back on when they were old and grey.

Gabriella was the first to pull away for air and they both simultaneously took in a large breath of air. No more words were needed; they poured their deepest feelings for each other into every touch and every kiss. Gabriella's arms left his neck but before Troy could be disappointed at their sudden absence, he felt Gabriella slowly work at the hem of his shirt, dragging it up his body and over his head. After discarding it on the floor, she sank back into his arms and placed soft feather-like kisses along his collarbone and neck.

"Gabi." Troy was amazed he was still coherent – well, almost. "I didn't tell you I love you solely to get you into bed."

Gabriella couldn't laugh at his sensitivity. It was just another part of him she loved so much. "I know that, Wildcat." She left his embrace and gently tugged on his hand, gesturing him towards the bed. The couple fell on it with a bounce and immediately found their mouths pleasantly occupied. Troy felt his confidence was at a whole new high and after exploring Gabriella's mouth with his tongue, he ran his lips along her cheek, against her ear and down the length of her neck, searching for the places that made her moan in pleasure. He didn't have to go very far to find them. When he nibbled at the base of her neck, Gabriella moaned so loud at his sweet torture that he was certain the whole neighbourhood heard. His hands held her hips in place and he found that when his thumb caressed the skin just beneath the top of her pyjama bottoms, she started to shiver at his touch. Gabriella's own explorations were having the same effect on Troy. Her fingernails trailed up and down his back and everytime nibbled or kissed a particular spot, her nails would dig into his back, causing him to groan and arch his back in pure bliss.

His lips slowly travelled to her throat and then along her collarbone. He started to unzip the Wildcats jacket, taking his lips down her chest as it was gradually exposed. Troy unzipped it all the way and moved it off to the sides, exposing her chest and stomach; her breasts covered by a lace black bra. Her stomach was rising and falling at a quick pace due to her panting and Gabriella's fingers laced through his hair as Troy lowered his lips to her stomach and began to rain kisses up and down her body. His mouth trailed the outline of her bra, causing her to writhe beneath his body as his teasing began to torture her body. "Troy." Gabriella panted and brought his face back up to hers, kissing him passionately and hard as his body completely covered her own. She felt an amazing feeling run through her veins when she felt his bare chest against hers and whimpered into his mouth as a result of it. As she suckled on his tongue, Troy grunted into the kiss, tangling his fingers in her ebony curls. He could feel himself losing control and he knew Gabriella was succumbing herself. He didn't think he could stop and the mixture of love and lust that was currently erupting through him scared him.

"Gabi." He broke the zealous kiss, panting heavily as Gabriella tried to catch his lips again, which he briefly allowed her to do. "How far…?"

Gabriella broke away. "Oh god, Troy. All the way." She kissed him again and he gladly fell back into it, pouring all the love he had inside of him into it. His passions rose further when he felt her fingers reach lower and undo the buttons on his jeans. They both smiled into the kiss as she succeeded in her task; not allowing the nerves that were surely there to surface. Gabriella lifted her body up slightly so Troy could pull his jacket from her shoulders and down her arms and they resumed their heated kiss after throwing it across the room, forgotten.

The couple were so engaged with each other that they didn't hear the footsteps coming swiftly up the stairs, and the bedroom door fling open. Troy and Gabriella jumped as the door banged open hard and Gabriella's mother stood in the doorway; shock and disbelief all over her face.

Gabriella sheepishly hugged her chest, covering herself up whilst Troy was scanning the room at a fast rate to try and see where Gabriella had discarded his shirt earlier. He had totally forgotten that his jeans were still undone and when Ms. Montez saw, a hand went to her mouth.

"Mom-" Gabriella tried to speak.

"Get dressed. Both of you." Her voice was stern and her eyebrows knitted together in anger. "Troy, I think it's time for you to go home. Gabriella, downstairs. Now." The young couple froze as Ms. Montez turned on her heel and marched down the stairs. Not another word spoken.


	13. Hence The Difference Between

**THIRTEEN – Hence, The Difference Between…**

"Nearly."

"Nearly?!" Chad spat out his chilli cheese fries in complete shock as his best friend told him about the previous evening. Troy leaned back as small clumps of half-chewed fries splattered over the lunch table and he reckoned the head lunch lady would not be too thrilled when she saw the mess that she would inevitably have to clean up. She'd be even more pissed if she knew the cause was her 'favourite' student, Chad Danforth. Chad wiped his mouth quickly, and didn't seem fazed by the truly revolting act he had just committed. "Dude, how the _hell_ do you guys _start_ to get it on and then don't _finish_?"

An intriguing question, he knew. But Troy looked back at his own plate of plain fries with ketchup and suddenly didn't feel like eating after Chad's food had reappeared.

Chad snapped his fingers over and over again to regain Troy's attention. His mind was now focused at the conversation in hand whereas five minutes earlier, it had been totally devoted to his chilli cheese fries. "Dude!" Chad lightly shoved his friend and brought him slowly back to Planet Earth. "Are you alive? What happened last night?"

"I…" Troy suddenly blushed lightly. "I don't wanna talk about it, man."

Chad slowly leaned back in his seat and rubbed his chin in contemplation. "It's not something… weird… is it?" He tried to choose his words carefully, but all he achieved was a confused expression from Troy who seriously did not understand what he was getting at. "Like…" Chad really didn't want to continue, but somehow his mouth was just moving on its own with the words just spilling out. "…a guy thing…?" Troy raised his eyebrows as he could see Chad trying to think of the right words…and being totally unsuccessful in the process. "You know… the kind of problem that only a Dude _could_ say to another Dude but actually _won't_ say to another Dude because it'll totally deflect your manly ego and you'll lose all self-respect. You know _that_ kind of problem."

Troy suddenly realised where his friend was leading to and he quickly shook his head and nearly choked on his fries. "Oh god, _no_! Nothing like that, I swear. That's never been a problem with Gabi, trust me."

"Please don't go into details."

"You asked!"

"I never asked for details." Chad had started to eat his chilli cheese fries again, grateful that the awkward moment had been safely diverted. "So, what happened then? Did Gabriella suddenly realise you're not quite as buff and macho as I am and that she'd rather drool over a real man?"

Troy lightly punched his friend's bicep. "No. It was actually going perfect."

"Until…?" Chad waved his hand around in small circles, urging him to continue. Troy opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped by the sound of Taylor and Kelsi calling over to them both from the cafeteria entrance. Troy closed his eyes with a dreaded sigh. It was going to be a long day.

"Troy, Troy, Troy, Troy, Troy…" Taylor was practically squealing as they took their seats at the table and Chad exaggerated hurt as Taylor sat beside Troy instead. She didn't notice – her face was beaming and her big, scary smile was plastered on her face as she made herself comfortable and began to pinch one of Troy's cheeks. "You little romantic devil, you." She pinched harder than anticipated and Troy tried to bat her hand away.

"Ow! Ow! Romantic what?"

Taylor patted his red cheek, making it sting more as she patted it for longer than necessary. "We've just seen Gabriella and may I say, Basketball Boy, you've put one seriously large smile on that girl's face after last night's events!"

Chad leaned over the table, his face confused. "What are you talking about, Tay? Nothing happened."

_Oh God…_ Troy buried his face in his hands and prayed for the ground to swallow him whole. Kelsi's eyes was darting among all three of them as Taylor leaned over the table to get closer to Chad; trapping an embarrassed Troy between them.

"Yes, it did." Taylor argued. "Gabs has just told me everything."

Chad pointed to himself and Troy. "We've been talking and he said nothing happened. They got interrupted."

"Interrupted?"

"Okay!" Troy spoke up. "Enough. Seriously. No further, please. I'm sure the whole school doesn't wish to know!"

Chad looked at him. "Well, actually, I'm sure they _do_."

"Whatever." Troy brushed off his comment. "Tay, what do you mean you've been talking to Gabriella?"

The big scary smile came back on Taylor's face and she lightly shoved Troy's arm. "Come on, Bolton; we know that you told her you love her! Don't even dare deny it, you hopeless romantic!" Troy leaned backwards as Taylor's arm reached out so she could pinch his cheek again.

Chad grasped a tight hold onto his friend's arm. "You told her you love her? You didn't tell me that, Dude! You just told me you were about to have sex!"

"You were about to have sex?" Taylor grasped Troy's other arm and he squinted as both their fingers dug into his skin. "Gabs just said that you guys said 'I love you'. She never said that!"

"Hence the difference between males and females." Kelsi added in amusement.

Taylor ignored Kelsi and gripped Troy's arm tighter, making him gasp in pain and try to shove her away. "Why didn't you go all the way? Is it a guy thing?"

"No!" Troy exclaimed as he finally managed to free his arms and rest them on his lap, under the table – away from their sights. "Why is everyone assuming that? Seriously, you're gonna start these embarrassing rumours around the school and that is totally bad for my ego."

Chad hastily finished his plate of chilli cheese fries and as he licked his fingers clean, his eyes darted to Troy's plate which was still covered in delicious fries…smothered with thick tomato ketchup. His mind was circling; wondering whether he should ask more about the previous evening or ask if Troy was going to finish those fries…

Taylor made the decision for him. "So…what happened?"

All three had leaned in closer to Troy without even realising it. Troy knew now he was in a very deep hole and the only way to get out of it was to tell them what he really did not want them to know. He knew that as soon as he uttered the words of pure humiliation, that his friends would start laughing hysterically and then spread the word around the Wildcats basketball team and then eventually, the entire school would know. He wasn't too sure that Gabriella would be too happy about that but now he couldn't help it. He was trapped in a hole. A very deep hole.

"Look…I'm sure there's this huge conspiracy going on around me and Gabi and you guys are the main cause of it. Always interrupting us at the worst times… I swear you're all ganging up and plotting against us! It was all going perfect until her bedroom door swung open and I was _certain_ it was going to be you!" Troy's eyes darted to Chad, who sat up and tried to look innocent.

"It was her Mom wasn't it?" Kelsi muffled a chuckle and Chad blinked slowly as the corners of his mouth turned up into a wide smirk.

"Seriously…_Dude_… Her Mom _saw_ you?" Troy didn't answer and Chad looked over at Taylor as though he'd heard the best news in the world. Taylor, meanwhile, was trying to hold back her laughter for Troy's benefit. "Dude… that's so wrong. On so many levels."

"You think?" Troy answered, exasperated – his face clearly showing how much he was blushing. "I'm never going to Gabi's place again – I don't think I could face her Mom ever again…"

"What did she say?"

Troy shrugged his shoulders. "I haven't spoken to Gabi yet… She just told us to get dressed, told me to leave and she wanted Gabi downstairs. I don't know what she said to her. And I'm not quite sure I want to know…"

Taylor finally let out the laughter she had been trying so hard to keep in. "No wonder Gabs didn't say anything! I'd be mortified if my parents caught me and Chad."

"But they wouldn't be that bothered, Babe." Chad grinned. "If anything they'd congratulate you on selecting a fine piece of man candy to feast upon!"

"Dude, you're dreaming." Troy rolled his eyes as Taylor got up and walked around the table, taking the spare seat next to her boyfriend.

"Babe, get a reality check." She patted his fuzzy head before reaching for her school bag and pulling out her packed lunch for the day. Chad shot Taylor a shocked look, but instantly dismissed it as the smirk on her face told him she was joking. Troy laughed at the couple; knowing Taylor was the perfect girl for Chad. She knew exactly how to respond to him and how to deal with his wonderfully strange sense of humour. Troy finally felt as though he had some help in that department. He'd been the only person up until Taylor who saw and understood every side of Chad. As Chad started snivelling around Taylor's sandwich, Troy chewed another handful of fries and looked up.

"Is Gabi not coming to lunch?"

"She said she'd meet us a bit later on." Taylor replied as she attempted to bat Chad's hungry fingers away from her turkey sandwich. "She's gone to the theatre."

Troy raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"She and Ryan wanted to speak to Darbus about something. Sharpay's completely taken over the Fall Ball arrangements and now she wants to take over the musical. She's not all that thrilled with Ryan's ideas even though he allowed her one duet with you."

Troy did a double take. "A duet…with me?"

Taylor looked up and sighed in defeat as Chad cheekily took a large bite of her sandwich. "Yeah… Hasn't Gabs told you?" Troy shook his head slowly. "Oh. Well, we all signed up for this gig yesterday… Ryan and Kelsi are directing and you and Gabriella are the leads. Sharpay wasn't happy at all. But to keep her quiet, Ryan said she could sing one song with you and have a supporting role. But then this morning Ryan told us that she'd blown her top when she found out you and Gabs were going to be singing _'You Are The Music in Me'_. In fact, she's that mad that Ryan and Gabs went straight to the theatre to talk to Darbus about it."

Troy held his hands up in defence. "Okay; firstly, I'm not singing."

Chad squirmed in his seat and Taylor spoke up. "I know, no-one wants to sing with the Ice Queen but it's the way to keep her-"

"No. Taylor, I'm not signing up for the musical. I can't believe Ryan's been making plans for me when he doesn't even know if I've agreed to anything!"

"No, no." Taylor stopped him. "He just assumed…well, we all did. We all assumed that you and Gabs would be taking part. You guys always have the lead and after the Star Dazzle talent show, we thought-"

"I got roped into singing in that as well." Troy sighed. "And that was Sharpay's doing. And it may have worked to my advantage in the end but this year I'm concentrating on my basketball and studies, okay? I'm not taking part in the musical." He turned to Chad. "And you… you said you weren't going to sign up!"

"Hey!" Chad backed down in his seat. "Evans has some really cool ideas for us all!"

"And after all that grief you gave me when you found out I'd auditioned for the first one…"

"A man can change." Chad shrugged nonchalantly. "It's going to be a blast – the only downside is Sharpay but apart from that it's going to be amazing. You really should reconsider."

Troy sighed and pushed his fries away, which Chad happily helped himself to. "I'm really getting stressed out with school lately, you know that. And my Dad is constantly on my back about it. If I join, I'll just be making things worse for myself."

"Won't be the same without you." Kelsi sighed as she scribbled out some notes on her pad.

Before Troy could respond, he felt Gabriella's arms latch around his neck from behind and her lips come into contact with his cheek. He turned his head slightly to see her and his smile faded softly when he saw Ryan standing right behind her.

"Hey, guys!" He called out a little too enthusiastically. He and Chad banged knuckles as he took a seat beside Kelsi. "We've just spoke to Darbus…"

"Oh, well we'd _love_ to hear all about it." Chad cleared his throat as Gabriella reached over Troy's shoulder to take a couple of fries from Chad's plate. "But I think we should really discuss events that happened last night…" He started to smirk again as Gabriella stopped chewing briefly and glared at him.

"Hilarious, Chad." She scoffed and rolled her eyes before gesturing to Troy. She leaned down so she could whisper in his ear. "Roof?" Troy smiled his response and went to stand up.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Chad called as Troy grasped Gabriella's hand and they began to walk away from the table. "We want details!"

"Sorry, man." Troy shrugged. "Places to go, people to see…" Gabriella tugged on his hand and they made their way up the stairs, ignoring the annoyed looks on their friend's faces.

"I'll get it out of him." Chad declared as he started to eye up Ryan's packed lunch.


	14. Barney and Phyllis

**A/N: Hey guys; sorry about the absence! I've been working non-stop and the one night off I had was Saturday when I was out celebrating my friend's birthday. Drinks all round! Just a quick note to say thank you for those wonderful reviews; for this and 'I'm Kissing You' – I was so happy you guys enjoyed it so thank you for reading xx**

**In response to some reviews regarding the last chapter – I was planning on writing a chapter based on Gabriella and her mother but decided against it in the end. If I had done that, there wouldn't be this fluff filled chapter for you to feast upon! This is a Troyella fic after all. Just to let everyone know, there will be very little drama in this fic – I'm aiming to map this fic out as more of a character development – mainly Troy and Gabriella, of course. Any drama in this fic will all have a connection to their characters and will make them stronger in the process. So, unfortunately, no huge dramatic climax like 'Gabriella-gets-pregnant-and-the-father-is-either-Troy-or-Will-Smith-and-only-Bruce-Willis-can-save-the-day'. **

**Anyway, getting on with the story! Enjoy this chapter guys xx love you xx**

**FOURTEEN – Barney and Phyllis**

Troy nearly tripped over his own feet as Gabriella literally dragged him up the two flights of stairs and towards his secret rooftop hideout. At least, it _had_ been secret until the day when Chad, Zeke and Jason had followed him there to explain to him why Gabriella refused to speak to him and do the Twinkle Towne call backs. Since then, his friends had decided to claim it as theirs which had annoyed Troy deeply due to the fact that he'd have to work hard to find a new secret spot for him and Gabi. Somewhere he was certain they wouldn't be interrupted.

"Woah. Woah there, Montez!" Troy chuckled as they reached the top and Gabriella finally skidded to a halt. "What's the rush?" Gabriella just grinned and snuggled into his waiting embrace.

"Nothing." She shrugged, placing a small kiss at the base of his neck. "I just missed you is all."

Troy grinned, feeling like he was in the middle of some cheesy romantic movie as his heart swelled, remembering the words exchanged the night before. He'd thought of nothing else all night – the fact that she'd said it back had made him happier than he ever felt he could be. The fact that her mother had caught them half-naked and in a very compromising position had embarrassed him beyond belief. "Missed you too." Troy finally replied, placing a kiss on the top of her head and breathing in the strawberry scent. He loved the smell of that shampoo she used – so much so, on the one occasion she'd actually used a different brand, he'd marched her to the store to get back the original.

Gabriella leaned back in his arms, her own arms still looped loosely around his neck. "Aren't you interested in what I had to go through last night?" She raised an eyebrow as a blush returned to Troy's cheeks and he stumbled for words.

"Depends," was all he could reply with.

"On?"

"Well whether your Mom _really_ blew a gasket and has forbidden you from ever seeing me again. In which case we would have to elope as soon as possible and change our names. Chad recommended Barney and Phyllis. We'd have to get new identities so we should probably invest in some outrageous wigs and fake moustaches. And some glasses. Then we'd be out on the open road with no worries, responsibilities… no interruptions."

Gabriella giggled. "Well, Barney, last night's conversation went nothing like that, but now I wish it had because what you just said sounds like a lot of fun! When do we leave for Las Vegas?"

Troy smirked at his girlfriend's bubbly exterior, which put to rest any worries he had that Ms. Montez had gone ballistic and told her to leave him. "Why Las Vegas, Phyllis?"

"Because _Barney_, we could elope there and get hitched in one of those twenty-four hour drive-thru things."

"Uh huh. No way." Troy pulled her closer. "Barney would never allow himself to marry such a perfect girl at the worst place possible. Barney wants the dream wedding; and since we're secretly eloping it would have to be on a secluded beach somewhere… maybe in Hawaii. Then after that, Barney and Phyllis would travel on the open road, carefree and totally loved up. Just going where the fancy takes us."

"See, now you're really bumming me out, Wildcat." Gabriella pouted. "My Mom actually took it better than I thought she would and I was so pleased after we talked about it last night but now I wish she really had forbidden me to see you. I'd love to do the whole Barney-and-Phyllis-on-the-open-road thing – can we just go and do that?"

Troy blinked slowly as the serious look on Gabriella's face told him that she'd leave right now for the outrageous wig shop. She laughed at his response and snuggled deeper into his arms, resting her head comfortably against his toned chest. Troy slowly rubbed a hand up and down her back, feeling her let out a soft sigh against him and wrap her arms tighter around his neck. "So, does your Mom want to kill me and grill me or have I somehow managed to stay in her good books?"

Gabriella didn't lift her head and let out a soft giggle. "Why would she want to do that? When we first got together she actually congratulated me on what I'd managed to pull and said that if she were twenty years younger, she'd go for you too." She laughed when she felt Troy wince against her and she knew without looking that his entire face was red with humiliation.

"So…you didn't get grounded for an eternity?"

Gabriella pulled out of his hug and walked over to the bench that was situated at the other end of the roof. Sitting there allowed them to look over the campus and spy on the students below. Troy followed and sat beside her, awaiting an answer.

"No, she was just…shocked more than anything." Gabriella responded, reaching for Troy's hand. "I mean, it can't be the nicest thing in the world… your only child lying half-naked on a bed with her first serious boyfriend."

"Wasn't nice for me either, Gabi." Troy let out a nervous cough as Gabriella chuckled softly and began to play absentmindedly with his fingers. "I can't face your Mom ever again."

"Once she'd got over the shock, she was okay. Sort of. She started to tell me about the birds and the bees which was… embarrassing. Then she asked if we'd thought about protection and I said we had but…" Gabriella broke off and bit her lip as she gazed up at Troy. "I hadn't really thought about that at the time and I guess I just assumed you'd have that area covered-"

"I did." Troy interrupted her with a sigh, his face still a light shade of crimson. "Not that I was planning anything, Gabi. Chad gave me some the other night and it was still in my pocket."

Gabriella let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. Mom was terrified that she'd be a grandmother by the end of the year." Troy held his free hand up in defence, his facial expressions letting out his embarrassment and terror at the comment. Gabriella reached over and took his other hand in hers. "Don't look so freaked out, Barney! At least you didn't have to sit through all of that with your own mother!" Troy let out a laugh and allowed her to lace their fingers together and rest them on her thigh. "She did make me promise that I'd go to the doctor's and get some advice about birth control before we do anything." She bit her lip. "She also said that she doesn't feel comfortable about us taking that final step. She said that she knows we're old enough but I guess I'll always be her baby girl so I won't really ever grow up in her eyes. She said that if you're going to stay over in the future, that the bedroom door must be left open at all times."

"What do you mean _if_ I stay over? Gabi, I can't ever look at your Mom again! She caught me with my trousers undone for god's sake! A line has been crossed here. Everybody thinks it's hilarious! There's no _way_ I'm walking into your house again!"

Gabriella lightly slapped his bicep, her amused face boring into his. "Troy Bolton. Or Barney Bolton. Or whatever our new last name will be – you can't avoid my Mom forever! She's cool about it now and she didn't say a bad word about you. In fact, she said that she's happy I've found someone whom I can trust and love… and someone who feels exactly the same back." Her eyes sparkled. "She's promised me that the subject won't be brought up ever again. And I've made an appointment at the clinic for next week. After that, all we'll need is each other, a room, and no interruptions."

Troy smiled and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, bringing her back close to his body. "Well, Phyllis, I can promise the room but as for the interruptions… I'm not so sure. I think we're going to have to kill a few people before we can be certain we won't be interrupted." Troy placed a kiss to Gabriella's cheek as she pressed her back against his chest and entwined their fingers together. "Actually, come to think of it, they'd _still _find a way to ruin the moment."

Gabriella laughed and held one of his hands between her own, lightly running her fingertips over his palm and up and down his fingers. She shook her head with a smile when she found that those actions tickled him and he tried to pull his hand away from her feather-like fingers. "Ticklish, Wildcat?" She tilted her head to look up at him.

"If I say yes, you'll only use it as a weapon against me next time we have a debate. If I say no, you'll try and find some other spot that tickles me. I'm in a no-win situation here."

"Perhaps, but," Gabriella shifted herself around slightly so she could get better access to his ever-inviting mouth. "You love me anyway." She pressed her lips against his and moaned softly as he felt him gently respond as he tried to keep the smile from his face. She loved kissing him – if she had to choose a way to die, it would most definitely involve her drowning in his kisses – those delectable, kissable lips that constantly teased her and forced her to try and keep control of the urges that continually took over her body when she looked at him. Looking at him, Gabriella could completely understand why every girl at East High swooned over Troy Bolton. Those boyish good looks were accompanied with those beautiful, bright blue eyes that twinkled when he laughed. He had a perfect complexion that contrasted ideally with those pools of blue and Gabriella practically melted everytime his long brown locks fell over his eyes because it meant she had an excuse to gently brush them to one side and slide her fingers through his hair. And then, of course, there was that luscious body that guys wished they had and girls wished they could feel. Those rock hard muscles; that well formed six-pack – not too toned, just perfect. Gabriella could never keep the girly smile off her face everytime she heard a group of girls discuss whether or not the rumours were true – was it _really _that toned? Were those muscles really _that_ big? She'd laugh hysterically everytime she saw another group of girls deliberately sitting on a patch of grass close to the basketball court so they could watch Troy practise in the hot sun… and then they'd all squeal in delight when he'd pull his sweaty jersey over his head and expose those muscles they'd heard so much about. Gabriella would chuckle as she watched them pray thanks to the heavens above for such a marvellous creation.

One of the best and most lovable things about Troy was that he seemed totally oblivious to how gorgeous he actually was. On first impression, anyone would conclude that he was egotistical and arrogant based only on his looks. Anyone _that_ gorgeous could only be those things. But Gabriella and everyone else at East High knew different. They saw that caring and considerate side of him everyday. His friendly attitude causing everyone in the school to wish that they could be his friend. His status at East High was intimidating and maybe that was the reason that most were too shy to talk to him. But if they had plucked up enough courage to, they'd find that he'd easily talk back to them and take genuine notice.

Gabriella loved his sensitive side; she loved it how he could express whatever he was feeling into his hugs and his kisses. His caresses expressed how much he cared for and loved her. And whenever he felt a twinge of paranoia when he saw another guy looking up his girlfriend, he'd tighten his grasp around her and kiss which ever part of her was most accessible to him. She'd just look up at him and smile, letting him know that he was the only one for her. She loved to ease his insecure mind, though sometimes Gabriella never quite understood how Troy could not see what everybody else saw.

"Love you, Phyllis." Troy laughed softly as Gabriella slowly pulled away from the gentle kiss for air.

"Love you too, Barney." She smiled brightly, shifting her body again so they were sat face-to-face. As she leaned in to kiss him again, she grinned widely, and Troy gave her a confused look as her closed teeth prevented his tongue from entering her mouth and exploring. He pulled away and raised an eyebrow, awaiting an explanation. "What?" She asked innocently, moving back so she could look at him. She rolled her eyes as he gestured to the grin that was still plastered to her face. "I'm just happy, Wildcat. You're the most gorgeous and amazing guy at this school and you could have had any girl you wanted. But you chose me."

"You just noticed?" Troy quipped and tried to bring her closer.

Gabriella shrugged with a giggle. "No, but I just like to keep reminding myself of the fact." She placed a lingering kiss on his cheek as he chuckled his response.

"Hey, Gabi?" Troy attempted to pry her attention back to his face as her lips were now in swift contact with his neck. "About this musical thing…?"

Gabriella lifted her head and looked at him expectantly. "What about it?"

"When were you going to tell me I'd already been cast as lead?"

Gabriella frowned softly. "Cast as what? You haven't even signed up yet."

Troy let out a long sigh and ran a hand through his hair before continuing. "Taylor let it slip that Ryan has already cast me and you as leads. And apparently we're singing _'You Are The Music in Me'_ as the finale. Plus the fact that the entire show has already been mapped out with me involved and yet I have no intentions of signing up anyway."

Gabriella snapped her head back. "You don't?" She blinked. "But everyone else is involved… and Ryan and Kelsi are directing it!"

"So I gathered." Troy mumbled. He didn't like the fact that Ryan had been planning his after school activities and had not said a word about it. He also didn't like the fact that Gabriella hadn't said anything to him – it was like she and Ryan had their own little secret going on behind his back and the thought disturbed him.

"Look." Gabriella tenderly ran her fingers down the side of Troy's face. "Nothing has been set in motion. Ryan had these ideas and we all assumed that you would join in. Mainly for the fact that all of our friends are going to be involved – Chad and Taylor even have this dance number. Kelsi was a bit disappointed that Sharpay had ruined _'You Are The Music in Me'_ which meant we couldn't sing it at the Star Dazzle Talent Show so she wanted us to do it as the finale in the musical. It is _our_ song after all."

"I know, Gabi, I know." Troy grasped a hold of her hand that was gently caressing his face and held it against his cheek, enjoying her touch. "You know I love singing with you and we had a blast with the last one but…" Troy let out a sigh. "I'm really worried about senior year… I really need to focus on my basketball and studies… And I wish I wasn't such an idiot about things but I really want to get the best grades I can for college. Plus my Dad is really lying on the pressure and he's doing it without realising. He even promised he'd try to stop but he just can't help himself. Gabi, would you be really mad if I gave this show a miss?"

Gabriella took her hand from his cheek and her stomach lurched when she found his fringe had fallen over his eyes again. Gently, she brushed the tendrils of hair away and stared deep into those beautiful eyes; her hand resting in his hair. "No, I wouldn't be mad. I'd be a little upset but only because it's not going to be the same without you. You're the one who gave me the confidence to sing in front of everybody and without you, I really don't know if I could do it. It'll be strange to sing and not see you."

"I'll be in the front row." Troy offered, leaning into her touch. "I just don't need the extra pressure, Gabi. I got enough of it with school as it is."

Gabriella smiled and leaned forward, kissing him gently. "I'm not mad, Wildcat. I understand. But promise me something, okay?"

"What?"

"You get too ahead of yourself with all of this pressure…just tell me, okay? Don't push me away. If something is bothering you, I want to know and I want to help you. If your Dad starts laying into you…tell me and I'll ease the tension. Just don't push me away, promise?"

"I promise, Phyllis." Troy laughed when Gabriella jokingly slapped his bicep and he pulled her in for another kiss.

"You're so in for it, Barney." Gabriella pulled away only for a brief moment before pulling him back to her mouth where she placed tantalizing kisses whilst saying "love you, love you, love you," between each kiss. Troy ran his tongue across her bottom lip, asking for permission which was soon granted as she opened her mouth and allowed him in to explore. Their heads moved in small circles and changed direction as the kiss became more heated and passionate – the young loved-up couple both secretly imagining themselves as Barney and Phyllis, wearing beautiful gold wedding bands and driving on the open road; carefree and in love. No worries, no responsibilities. And most of all; no interruptions.


	15. Love You Lots, Like Jelly Tots

**A/N: Ooh! Nearly 200 reviews! I'm really excited! lol; thanks millions, guys! Glad you're enjoying the story and each and every one of you, I'm sending huge hugs to! Here's the next chapter and I'd really like to get an idea of what your feelings are towards this particular one… just to see if I've written it right… You will find out in time if I succeeded – I just need to know what your thoughts are about it. **

**Thanks again, guys. Mwah! Mwah! **

**Enjoy! xxHollyxx**

**FIFTEEN – Love You Lots, Like Jelly Tots**

Gabriella was still thinking about the Barney and Phyllis scenario as she sketched a large red heart around Troy's name that she'd written in swirly handwriting on her history folder. She'd been in such a happy mood since Troy had told her he loved her that he was all she could think about. She hadn't even been able to concentrate during lessons and often found herself snapped out of a daydream when a teacher asked her a question they expected her to answer straight away. Her math teacher had even asked her to stay behind to discuss just why her mind had been wandering all lesson.

Ryan looked up from his own notes and turned to Gabriella's folder with an amused smile as she dotted tiny hearts around the bigger one. They were both seated next to each other at the back of the classroom, taking various notes in total boredom. Well, Ryan was in any case, since Gabriella was more interested in her heart-felt doodles.

Ryan made sure the teacher wasn't looking and gently nudged his friend, bringing her out of her trance. "Hey, are you still on this planet, Gabs?"

Gabriella shook her head slowly and blinked a couple of times as she looked up from her file and towards the board, where Miss Thomas was writing out relevant information that would feature on future tests. Her messy handwriting was making it hard for the students to copy down. After a few seconds, Gabriella turned to her friend and blushed slightly as he looked down at her doodles again with a small chuckle. "Yeah, sorry." She laughed softly, trying not to draw any attention to herself. The last thing she needed was another teacher telling her to wait behind after class.

Ryan slowly tapped his pen against his notebook, which was covered in notes whereas Gabriella's was just covered in hearts, Troy's name and various other notes which linked to her undying love. "Ya know, Gabs, as cute as those doodles are; I honestly don't think Troy will feature on the history test. What does S.W.A.K stand for?"

"Sealed With a Kiss."

"H.O.L.L.A.N.D?"

"Hope Our Love Lasts And Never Dies."

Ryan raised his eyebrows. "And how old are you again?"

"Shut up!" Gabriella lightly swatted his arm and Ryan laughed in response. Miss Thomas didn't seem to notice them as she was too busy trying to keep her writing in straight lines… and failing miserably as they fell out of line at the end of each sentence. "It's not like I can help it. It's all Troy's fault."

"Right. Because Troy has just literally forced you to write soppy notes about him. You know, if not for your name at the top, no one would know who that folder belonged to if you lost it."

Gabriella raised an eyebrow. "How'd you work that one out?" Ryan pointed to the girl who was sat at the next table with her folder sat in front of her. As Gabriella followed Ryan's gaze, she saw the words 'Troy Bolton is Hot' and 'I Love Troy' surrounded by huge hearts all over the front of her folder. She giggled softly as she sat back in her seat. "Okay, you got me, Ry. I'm basically acting like another Troy Bolton groupie."

Ryan just laughed and shook his head. "Nah, it's cute. I'm sure Troy's folder has hearts all over his folder with your name inside. I just think it's funny that for the last half hour, Meg has been looking at you doodling on your folder and then giving you dirty looks."

"Meg?"

Ryan gestured over to the same girl. "Meg Riley. She joined the drama club about a year ago but then gave up when she realised it didn't get the attention of the jocks. Then you come along, missy, and suddenly the captain of the basketball team is auditioning for the school musical and suddenly cliques don't matter anymore. Don't think she likes the idea that you caught Troy's attention instead of her. She's had a thing for him ever since we left elementary school."

Gabriella rolled her eyes, feeling as though there was a never-ending list of girls who wanted to skin her alive just so they could get Troy to _notice_ them. "So, basically, I'm not on her Christmas card list." She smirked as Ryan sniggered behind his hand; that action alone telling her all she wanted to know. "Ah, well, I'm sure I'll survive."

"Is there a problem Mr. Evans? Miss Montez?" Miss Thomas called over in their direction, a frustrated look on her face. Gabriella often wondered just why Miss Thomas chose teaching as her ideal career, seen as though she made it so obvious how much she hated teenagers.

"No, no." Ryan shook his head, a sweet smile on his face. "Gabriella was just asking a question about the test. I've answered it. All is well." Miss Thomas raised an eyebrow before returning back to the board.

Gabriella looked at Ryan with an amused smile on her face. "You really know how to charm your elders, Mr. Evans."

Ryan shrugged with a grin. "It comes in handy sometimes. According to my Mom, I can do no wrong. When Sharpay and I were growing up, we'd get into all these fights, as siblings do. All I had to do was put on this pout and Mom would send Sharpay up to her room for hitting me." Ryan put on his best puppy eyes and pout to show Gabriella his secret trick. "Why'd you think Darbus agreed to let me and Kelsi direct the show?" He wiggled his eyebrows, causing Gabriella to laugh silently at him.

She was proud to call Ryan her friend. Besides Taylor, she considered Ryan to be one of her best friends – there was just something appealing about him that made her feel as though she could talk to him about anything. Sure, he'd schemed against her in the past; working closely with his twin sister to sabotage Troy and Gabriella's chances of making the final call backs for Twinkle Towne, but as far as Gabriella was concerned, all was forgotten. After all, Sharpay had been the puppet master, and now Ryan had stepped out of her shadow and abandoned the 'poodle' status, he was considered as another Wildcat; a proud supporter of his school and fantastic performer and director.

Gabriella had never found history to be one of her favourite school subjects, so she was pleased when she found that Ryan was also in her class. He seemed to enjoy the subject, so he always helped her out when she needed it. And when Miss Thomas proceeded in boring the living daylights out of them, Gabriella could always count on Ryan to write her a humourous yet sarcastic note to cheer her up and make the lesson more bearable. She did acknowledge that the lesson would have been more interesting if Troy was in the same class, but all wasn't a total loss. Gabriella was with Troy for English and Physics; which was mainly good for Troy considering they were, besides math, Gabriella's best subjects and his worst. And everytime he got stuck, they had another excuse for a 'study date' which kept its pretend title convincingly until they actually set up their relevant books… then conveniently forgot about the study-part of the date as they started making out for the umpteenth time.

Miss Thomas' voice started to drown out in her ears, and Gabriella started to doodle on her folder again. She knew she was acting like a love-sick teenager but honestly did not care as she wrote 'Gabi luvs Troy lots and lots like jelly tots' for about the tenth time. She could see Ryan looking over with a grin in the corner of her eye and she turned to him to see what was so funny. Ryan grasped his pen and started his own doodle on her folder. As he wrote 'Ryan Rulez' in the top corner of her folder, Gabriella chuckled.

"Nice." She grinned as Ryan placed stars around it.

"It's a working progress." Ryan sat back and admired his tiny sketch. "It's only fair you should have a 'Ryan Corner' on your folder. Seriously, how many folders can Troy Bolton dominate? I want a turn!" He put on a fake whine and Gabriella shook her head in amusement.

"Fine. Then I want a 'Gabriella Corner' on your folder." She reached over towards Ryan's folder and proceeded in writing 'Gabi was here '07' in the top corner, surrounded by various swirls and spirals. "You can write love messages about Troy if you like. I don't mind!"

Ryan raised an eyebrow at his friend's joke and poked her arm lightly with his pen. "Thanks but no thanks. See I _would_ write something romantic about your boyfriend, but I'm afraid I don't like jelly tots. Therefore, I can't '_love him lots, like jelly tots_'."

"Ha de ha." Gabriella rolled her eyes at Ryan's sarcasm just as he started to update his notes with the latest information Miss Thomas had placed on the board. Gabriella knew she should start to make her own notes, but all that was on her head was Troy, the up-coming fall ball and how handsome he'd look in his suit. It wasn't to be a formal occasion that followed the same ideas as senior prom – it was to be an informal gathering in the gymnasium that would be decorated with pink and shiny things since Sharpay was in charge of the dance committee. She'd already had a dress in mind that Taylor had pointed out at the mall last week; she just needed to be very nice to her mother in order to get it.

Gabriella looked back over at Ryan, who had finally given up on taking notes since Miss Thomas has the messiest handwriting in the world and he was unable to read her scrawly notes. "Ry." Gabriella dropped her voice to a whisper. "Are you going to the fall ball?"

"Hell, yeah!" Ryan whispered back.

"Who are you taking?"

Ryan shrugged. "Me, Kelsi and Martha are going together – not that it's an official date-type thing or anything; just thought we'd hang out together. Why?"

"Just making sure the whole gang is going to be there, that's all. We can discuss the production more – get a few ideas and suggestions into the mix… hear what Kelsi's been writing…"

Ryan tapped his pen lightly against his notebook again; making sure the teacher hadn't noticed their lack of attention to what she was saying. "I can't believe Troy doesn't want to take part. Who are we going to find to take his place? No one would compare to that hidden talent he's got."

"I know." Gabriella let out a small sigh. "But he needs to focus, Ry. This year's really important to him and he can't let things get on top of him again. I wish he could do it, but this way's the best way to handle things. He said he'll be in the front row, and that's all that matters now."

"I know." Ryan replied, the disappointment still clear in his tone. "But you have no idea how natural you both are as performers on stage. The chemistry between you is just… wow. Having you up there but not Troy… There's something really strange in that."

"Well, I don't have to be lead, Ry. Why not let Sharpay-?"

"No offence to my sister, but if she was lead, the show would _never_ turn out how we'd originally plan it. I want to do something fresh, something different. You're the perfect person to help me with that, Babs." Gabriella chuckled slightly at the nickname Ryan had given her. "And so is Troy." He let out a small sigh. "Ah, well; we'll find somebody. It doesn't have to be perfect right?"

"No." Gabriella offered him a supportive smile. "Just fun."

The excited expression was back on Ryan's face and Gabriella could tell that his mind was filling with various ideas for the final production. She sniggered at his excited face, to which he feigned hurt and gently nudged her. "Hush, girly." He chuckled. "Get back to loving Troy lots like jelly tots."

And Gabriella did just that. As Miss Thomas turned her back towards the class, Gabriella discreetly bent down to retrieve her cell from her bag and started to text a message to Troy:

'_Hey. Love you lots, like jelly tots! xx' _

Not a moment later did her phone silently vibrate in her hand and she opened the message with a smile as she read the reply:

'_Er… what? xx'_

Gabriella shook her head slowly, trying to muffle her giggles to prevent any attention. She hid the phone under the table as she expertly began to text back her boyfriend.

'_I said… I love you lots… like jelly tots!'_

She grinned widely when the phone vibrated again and she opened the message.

'_Um…thanks. I think. I love you lots too… like… something that rhymes with that but I can't think what at the minute. xx'_

Gabriella sighed softly, as though in a daydream. _My God, I've got it bad for him…_


	16. The Jist of Cheerleaders

**SIXTEEN – The Jist Of Cheerleaders**

As the bell rang loudly signalling the end of the day, Ryan and Gabriella wasted no time in placing their textbooks into their rucksacks and headed out of the classroom door. The corridors were rapidly filling with students who were heading towards their lockers before catching their relevant transport home. Sharpay was busy at her own bright pink locker, checking herself out in the mirror as Ryan and Gabriella passed her. Ryan stopped briefly to say he'd see her at home to which Sharpay just flicked her hair back over her shoulder and made a face which told him she didn't really care.

"Is she honestly refusing to speak to you now?" Gabriella asked as Ryan jogged to catch up with her.

He shrugged. "It's only a temporary thing with Sharpay. She'll be talking to me by this time next week, I guarantee it. She has to have her moments of attention."

Gabriella secured her blue shoulder-bag on her shoulder a bit more as it started to slip due to the weight caused by various textbooks. "She does know that she can just give it up and hang out with us. Everything she did or tried to do to us over the last few months have been long forgotten. And I'm sure Zeke would love to get to know her a lot more."

Ryan smirked. "Sharpay's never been one to have boyfriends. She's got enough character to occupy herself with. If she had a boyfriend, it would be like giving up some of that dominance – and if she were to get with someone, it would have to be a person with influence; with his own independence and power. The only guy she's ever been sweet on is Troy." Ryan made a face. "And don't we all know what she tried to do to get him."

Gabriella rolled her eyes as they both weaved through the mass of students. "She should give Zeke a chance. He really likes her."

"Well, he doesn't seem to be too afraid of her, which is always a good thing. Hey-" Ryan grasped Gabriella's arm, causing her to stop in her tracks. "Isn't that Jess McLean and two of her posse hanging around your locker?"

Gabriella followed Ryan's gaze and sure enough she saw Jess and two other cheerleaders huddled together next to her locker. They seemed to be fiddling with a folded up piece of paper that Jess was trying discreetly to place through the gaps at the top of the locker. Gabriella saw red and marched over to the offending group; Ryan close behind her.

"Hey." Her voice stopped Jess before she could place the paper in her locker; and on impulse she scrunched it up and put it behind her back. "Do you need something?" Gabriella wasn't a confrontational person at heart; but the guilty look on Jess' face told her that whatever she was up to was bad news. Jess could see through her exterior; could see that Gabriella was shaking inside. She smiled and placed her hand on her hip and stuck it out to the left – her infamous pose.

"No, Montez. Not a thing." Jess stepped closer to her, intimidating her with her presence. Ryan watched as Gabriella's body instinctively backed up and she hit him as she did. He held onto her arms and straightened her up as he glared at the cheerleader.

"Care to explain why you're snooping around Gabriella's locker?" He spoke up, causing Jess to stare at him with an amused glint in her eyes.

"Wow. Ryan Evans. Where's your sister? Didn't think you could function properly without her pulling those strings. Mind you, Gabriella here seems to be pulling those strings now."

"Whatever, Jess. You either tell her why you're here or you all forget about it and get out of here." Ryan was still holding onto Gabriella's arms, giving her as much support as possible as the brunette tried to avoid the cheerleader's eyes. Jess just smiled again, clearly shocked at Ryan's new-found confidence. She slowly backed off, keeping the smile on her face.

"We were just leaving, Evans." Jess turned her gaze back to Gabriella. "But I'll be back once your relationship goes down the pan. Don't worry; I'll make sure Troy knows I'm here and that _I_ won't sabotage our relationship." Gabriella frowned and watched as the three girls turned on their heels and strutted down the corridor, obviously pleased with themselves. Ryan let go of her arms and let out a breath of air.

"Just what is her problem?"

"I'm Troy's girlfriend; that's what's wrong." Gabriella sighed and turned around to her friend. "Thanks for that, Ry. I really needed that. I'm not very good at confronting people – especially someone like her."

"What do you mean?" Ryan frowned, tapping her shoulder gently. "She's just a cheerleader. She's nothing special. Jess is the only person left at this school that still thinks that status matters. Even Sharpay has realised that. But even if cliques and groups still existed at this school, it doesn't mean that she's got any sort of hold over anybody. She's _just_ a stuck-up and may I add, jealous, cheerleader."

Gabriella smiled and let out a breath. "Thanks, Ryan." She turned to open her locker and began to take out any textbooks she wouldn't need from her shoulder-bag. As she carelessly placed the in her locker, Ryan leaned against the next locker and caught a glance of Chad and Taylor walking towards them hand-in-hand.

"Evans!" Chad called out a little too enthusiastically and Ryan lifted his palm for a high-five. "Gabs! What's happening, Peeps?"

"Evil, jealous, malicious… bitchy, mean, stuck-up…" Gabriella was rambling as she slammed her last textbook into her locker.

"Cheerleaders." Ryan finished with a small smile. "I think we'd all get the jist if you'd just said cheerleaders."

"Dudes, don't talk to me about cheerleaders." Chad shook his head and started to twirl his basketball on his free hand. "They're driving the whole team crazy. They just _insist_ on practising their cheers in the gym now during free period. Just because Jess is trying to seduce Troy. She still hasn't clocked onto the fact that he's never going to be interested in her; but she'd better figure it out soon. If I hear those cheers one more time, murder will be committed and I won't be held responsible for my actions."

"I don't think anyone would blame you." Taylor rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Gabriella as she shut her locker door and swung her bag over her shoulder again. "You getting the bus with us, Gabs?"

"I guess so." Gabriella looked around the corridors to see if she could catch a glimpse of her boyfriend.

"He's still at his locker." Chad answered, knowing who Gabriella was looking for. "He can't find his English work. I told him we'd meet him out front. And hey, if he's feeling generous, he might even give us a ride home."

Taylor pulled a face as the four of them headed towards the exit. "In _that_ old heap of crap? Chad, I'd rather face a smelly school bus."

Gabriella smiled softly. "Tay, his truck's not _that_ bad. Since he's got it, it's only broken down like… twice."

"Twice too many." Taylor shook her head with an amused smile, remembering both times it had happened and Troy and Chad had tried unsuccessfully to get it going again. Troy had really gotten stressed out since Gabriella and Taylor had thought it was highly amusing and Chad wasn't taking the necessary repairs seriously. And as help from the insurance company arrived, Troy had sulked in the back whilst Chad, Taylor and Gabriella had made various jokes about his truck's lack of reliability.

"I'm still saving for the ultimate car." Chad wound his arm around Taylor's neck and brought her in close. "One that properly functions and doesn't brake down. Need a weekend job desperately though."

"We all do." Gabriella agreed as they exited the school and walked through the crowds of students who were waiting to board the many school buses that were parked directly outside of East High.

"Well, I think Lava Springs will be off your list." Ryan added with a smile. "I think Fulton is after a student-free season."

Chad shuddered at the mention of their former boss, causing them all to laugh as they reminisced over the drama-filled summer – mainly down to Sharpay's schemes. As desperate for a job as he was, Chad didn't feel as though he could face another day at Lava Springs; serving the stuck-up members and receiving no recognition for the work he and everybody else put in.

As the four of them stood away from the crowds, they didn't notice Troy jog up from behind them. Gabriella jumped as his arms latched around her waist from behind and she instantly relaxed upon recognising that familiar touch. "Hey. Sorry I'm late." He was clearly out of breath as he greeted his girlfriend with a quick peck on the cheek. "What's up?"

Chad shuffled his feet. "Well, we were keeping young Gabriella here company so in return I guess you owe us a ride home."

Troy pulled an amused face at his best friend and greeted Ryan and Taylor with a small nod. Taylor slapped Chad's bicep as he spoke. "Er, no thanks, Troy. I want to make it home in one journey."

"Your words do hurt, Taylor." Troy responded, his arms snaking around Gabriella's waist again. "But, hey, if you want to ride the smelly school bus… be my guest."

"Okay, I'll make you a deal." Taylor grinned as she folded her arms, her tone of voice prompting Troy to give her his full attention. "You get us home in one journey and I'll not make a single joke about how crap your truck is for a week."

"Just the one week? Come on, Tay. It's not _that_ bad. Is it Gabi?" Troy turned his head to his girlfriend, who smirked at her friends with a slight blush on her cheeks.

"No, actually, in your defence, it's not that bad. That bet isn't a very good one, Tay. You just keep thinking about the last time it broke down." Troy grinned in triumph as Gabriella finished talking. "So are we getting in the truck because I need to get home."

"Why's that?" Troy unconsciously held his girlfriend tighter.

"Homework, Troy."

Troy shook his head. "You're at my house for dinner tonight. All sorted out now. You can't go home."

"What do you mean it's all sorted?"

"I've rang your Mom, I've rang my Mom. It's all fine – you're at mine this evening for food and movies and… total make out sessions."

Chad and Taylor cleared their throats whist Ryan exaggerated an uncomfortable look. Gabriella tried to wipe the smile off her face but did not succeed as she raised a questioning eyebrow in Troy's direction, suddenly forgetting every comment Jess had thrown at her. "And what makes you think I want to come to your house, Wildcat? I might want to bury my nose in the joy that is homework."

Troy raised his own eyebrow and briefly shot Chad and Taylor a bemused expression. In one swift movement, Troy scooped Gabriella into his arms and she squealed as her shoulder bag fell to the floor and her arms quickly latched around his neck. She started to giggle as Troy wiggled his eyebrows at her with an expression that told the world: 'I rule all'.

"You were saying, Miss Montez?" Gabriella laughed blissfully and started to kick her legs in a pretend struggle. Truth was she really loved it when Troy picked her up as though she was his new bride he was carrying over the threshold. Taylor rolled her eyes at the couple and bent down to retrieve Gabriella's bag which she slung over her shoulder.

"To your car, I take it, Troy?" Taylor raised an eyebrow in question.

Troy just grinned and proceeded in carrying Gabriella in the direction of where his car was parked whilst Taylor and Chad slowly followed behind the laughing couple.

"I'm going this way." Ryan stopped them in their tracks and pointed towards the school. "My parents are picking us up. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Later, Evans." Chad called back with a small wave. Taylor gave him her own little wave.

"Bye, Ryan!" Gabriella chuckled from over Troy's shoulder as he continued to walk ahead of the small group. Ryan waved back before turning on his heel in the other direction. As Ryan drifted out of sight, Gabriella rested her head against Troy's shoulder as he neared his truck; completely surrendering herself as she hoped Lucille Bolton was making her infamous lasagne. She could hear Chad and Taylor laughing at something; most likely themselves as Troy gave a small skip, causing Gabriella to latch onto him tighter as she felt herself lift slightly out of his grasp. "Mean." She scolded him as he sniggered at her and placed a small kiss on the top of her head. "Forcing me to go to your house and have some of your Mom's fantastic cooking… and _then_ you have the cheek to tell me we're going to be making out later without even _asking_ me first!"

They finally reached the truck and Troy came to a stop next to the passenger, wondering how he was going to manage to fish his keys from his jeans pocket with Gabriella still in his arms. "So very sorry, Miss Montez. Will you _please _accept my invitation to my house for my Mom's fantastic cooking and a make-out session?"

Gabriella put on her best thinking face and Troy feigned hurt. "Sure. If I must." She replied nonchalantly before grinning widely. As if you'd need to _ask_ someone to make out with Troy Bolton.

"You're so in for it, Phyllis." Troy laughed before kissing her gently.

"Hey, hey!" Chad and Taylor caught up with the couple, who pulled apart upon hearing their outburst. "Save that for later; nobody likes public displays of affection!"

"Hilarious." Troy scoffed and stepped closer to Chad, Gabriella still in his arms. "Do me a favour, Dude. Get my keys out of my front pocket."

"Dude!" Chad called, stepping away and raising his hands in defence. "There's no way on this planet I'm sticking my hand in _there_!" Taylor laughed out loud as Troy realised what he'd asked his friend to do and Gabriella buried her chuckles into his neck as Troy put on a macho look and cleared his throat.

"Gabi." He coughed. "Do the honours. Chad, this conversation _never_ took place."

"Agreed."

Gabriella rolled her eyes and snaked one of her arms between their bodies; her fingers searching for his pocket. Troy suddenly regretted the situation he was in due to her wandering fingers that were hitting all the right places at the exactly wrong time. Taylor and Chad pretended to be more interested with the clear blue sky that had graced Albuquerque and Gabriella bit back a chuckle as she finally dug into Troy's pocket and moved her fingers around, causing him to hold in a groan as she deliberately dug further in.

"I think you've got the keys." Hs tone was serious yet held amusement as Gabriella gazed up at him innocently, as if she'd had no idea of the effects she was having on him. Troy just smiled at her and turned around so she could insert the key into the passenger door and unlock it. As she did, Troy effortlessly swung her in his arms so it was easier for him to place her into the seat. As he unwound his arms, Gabriella pouted and folded her arms, mocking the behaviour of a toddler. "Am I really in for it, Barney?" She fluttered her eyelashes with a small smile.

"Course."

"Do you promise?"

Her suggestive tone shocked him slightly, though there would be no complaints from him. Troy cleared his throat again. "Oh, I promise."

"Lots and lots?"

"Like jelly tots." He winked at her and she laughed out loud at his reply. Chad and Taylor groaned out loud and opened the back doors before climbing in.

"I swear if you're going to be all mushy and gushy, I _will_ kick you out of this car." Chad rolled his eyes as Taylor crawled in next to him. "We do not need to see that!" He squealed and covered his eyes as Troy deliberately pulled Gabriella into a passionate kiss.


	17. You're My Lobster

**SEVENTEEN – You're My Lobster**

Troy tried his hardest not to laugh as he shut the passenger door in response to Gabriella declaring she wasn't going to get out of the car and accompany him into the house. The two had been in a giddy mood all day and after Troy had dropped Chad and Taylor off at Chad's house, Gabriella had folded her arms and pouted that she wanted ice cream and wasn't going to get out of the car until she got some. Troy had repeatedly told her during the journey home that it would spoil her dinner; but all Gabriella did was stick her tongue out at him and pretend to be mad with him whilst at the same time, trying to keep a giddy smile off her face.

Troy let out a loud sigh and leaned one hand against the passenger door, looking at his watch as Gabriella began to claw at the window with a sad-looking pout. "Are you coming out, Montez?" He pretended to be interested in his bitten-down fingernails. He had to laugh out loud when he turned back to look at his girlfriend and she had pressed her mouth to the glass and puffed her cheeks, making her look like some deformed frog. "Very attractive, Gabi." Troy rolled his eyes and continued to laugh as he opened the passenger door and put a hand on his hip. "Are you coming or not?"

Gabriella bit her lip innocently, giggles escaping her mouth as she struggled to hold them in. She loved winding him up; he looked so unbelievably cute when he was trying to be serious when in actual fact; he wanted to collapse on the floor in hysterics. Gabriella always felt a swell of pride everytime she made her boyfriend laugh – when he did, she knew that the look on his face that she had created was reserved only for her – his eyes would twinkle and his smile was always so delectable. "Make me." She finally answered with a small wink and by the look on Troy's face, she knew he was about to do something drastic.

"I'll tell Mom." Gabriella laughed out loud at his answer, falling back into the seat and holding her stomach as all the hysterics were causing it to ache. The look on his face was so adorable – a look as though he was a young boy who was about to tell his Mom about the mean bullies who had stolen his sweeties. Troy watched her, amused, until he leaned into the car and placed his hands on her hips. "Gabriella Montez. If you don't get out of this car right now, I'll…" he drifted off as her laughter subsided and she looked at him curiously for his answer. Troy stumbled for words, knowing that whatever he said, she'd never take him seriously and find a way to win him out in the end. She always did. "Oh, come on! I'm hungry!"

Gabriella rolled her eyes and held up her hands in defence as she stepped out of the car. "Okay, okay, Wildcat; I'm coming." She grinned as Troy's face showed triumph and he shut the car door before locking it. "But, you know, I don't think I could make it to the front door-"

"Ugh!" Troy feigned annoyance and he bent his knees and held Gabriella's knees before sweeping her up and over his shoulder, chuckling at the giggles that erupted from her as she realised what he had done. "Come along, Miss Puffy Cheeks."

Gabriella dangled down her boyfriend's back, feeling the blood rush to her head as he started to walk towards his house, keeping a firm grip on her. "What? So I'm now Phyllis Puffy Cheeks?"

Troy laughed and patted her backside. "How you doing back there?"

"Ay… not so bad." Gabriella shoved her hands into Troy's back pockets and squeezed. "I've got one hell of a view back here."

"I feel so violated." Troy feigned hurt as Gabriella absentmindedly swung her legs and Troy had to dodge them in order to prevent himself getting kicked in the face. He reached the front door and opened it and they were both instantly greeted by a strong smell of lasagne that had taken over the Bolton household. "Hello?" He called out as he closed the door behind them.

"Is that Gabriella?" Lucille Bolton emerged from the kitchen and chuckled when she saw her son and his girlfriend draped over his shoulder.

"Sure." Troy shrugged. "Be more pleased to see Gabi rather than your own son. Is it Pick-On-Troy Day, by any chance?"

"Oh, hush." Lucille ignored Troy's remark and he turned around so she could see Gabriella. Gabriella placed her hands on Troy's hips and gently pushed up so she could look up at the woman she considered to be her 'second Mom'.

"Hey, Lucy." She giggled and started to poke Troy's side in a bid for him to put her down.

"Gabriella. So glad you came tonight. As soon as Troy rang I put all original dinner plans on hold and the lasagne will be ready shortly."

Troy gently lowered his girlfriend to the floor and Gabriella started to brush her fingers through her now messy hair. "You didn't have to do that…" she blushed, hating being the centre of attention.

"Pish, Posh." Lucille waved her comment off and Troy rolled his eyes. He loved how his Mom and girlfriend had connected – Lucille had fallen in love with Gabriella from the very start. Troy had very rarely brought a girl home but the day he had brought home Gabriella, Lucille had been over the moon and any previous comments from her husband warning her that this new girl was going to be an issue – Troy's 'detention buddy' – had fled from her mind. Jack Bolton had warmed to Gabriella and he did like her, thinking she and Troy were a perfect match. But his competitive side always got the better of him at times, and being so focused on Troy's game, the young couple often took that as a sign that he wasn't impressed with her.

Gabriella was always so polite with the Bolton's. After they first met, Lucille had constantly begged Gabriella to call her 'Lucy' instead of 'Mrs. Bolton' which had taken Gabriella quite a while to get used to. Troy often remembered how shy Gabriella had been at the time and compared to how she was now, he had to laugh. Whenever she got together with his Mom, he'd always fight to get a word in edge-ways as they jabbered on like monkeys and he'd try with all his might to prevent his Mom from pulling out the baby photo's. Again.

The relaxed atmosphere was exactly the same at the Montez household. Maria Montez had instantly bonded with Troy and was so happy that her daughter had managed to find someone like him. He was the kind of guy every mother wished their daughter's would find and she always showed her appreciation to Troy – baking him her famous brownies with a side helping of cookie dough ice cream. Gabriella would scoff at the way Maria would mother her boyfriend, but never complained as he tucked into yet another helping of ice cream; insisting his high metabolism meant he'd never put on any unwanted weight.

Troy wound an arm around Gabriella's neck as they followed his mother back into the kitchen, taking in the delicious, mouth-watering aroma. "Where's Dad?"

Lucille checked her watch. "He should be home any second, love." Troy cringed whenever his Mom called him 'love'. Or 'sweetie'. And he especially hated it when she called him her 'baby boy' – she only called him that when she was feeling in a particularly embarrassing mood and Gabriella, of course, was around to hear it. Troy had promised Gabriella tonnes of kisses and cuddles in order to keep her mouth closed and not tell Chad. "Ah, here he is now." The sound of the front door opening and closing stopped Troy's thoughts and his arm slipped from Gabriella's shoulder to her waist and he pulled her in closer. He knew how nervous Gabriella got when she was in the same room as his Dad and he wished Jack would show a little more interest in her.

"Evening, all." Jack greeted his wife with a kiss on the cheek and he nodded in Troy and Gabriella's direction. "Hi, Gabriella; how are you."

"Uh, good, thank you, Coach Bolton. You?"

"It's Jack." He smiled with a shake of his head and stole a glance into the oven to check on the dinner's progress. "And I'm very good, thank you. Actually, kind of disturbed. Saw Coach Turner at lunch today."

"West High's coach?" Troy's eyes widened.

Jack nodded his response as the over timer beeped and Lucille slipped on her oven gloves to retrieve the lasagne. "The same. He called round today."

"And didn't get confronted by the team?" Gabriella was amused with Troy's sudden competitive side which matched Jack's when West High was mentioned. The Wildcats and Knights had always been arch-rivals and as far as Gabriella understood it, Troy and West High's captain Sean Kinley weren't exactly the best of friends either. So to hear that his Dad had spent lunch with the Knights' coach was somewhat of a shock.

Jack chucked as he imagined the entire Wildcats team latching onto Jim Turner and harassing him for being on 'Wildcat territory'. "He actually called round to let me know that the Knights are planning something huge for the next game and that they're going to 'kick our butts'." Jack made air quotations and Troy scoffed at the comment whilst Lucille and Gabriella looked on, amused.

"Beat the champions? I don't think so." Lucille rolled her eyes as she took out four plates and Gabriella helped by taking out the cutlery.

"Does Turner know who he's dealing with?" Troy folded his arms and leant back against the counter-top, his mind automatically focused on the up-coming game. "What are they planning? The best way to admit defeat?"

Jack sniggered along with his son. "He told me not to get too attached to that trophy; put it that way."

Troy snorted, imagining what his Dad's reaction to that would have been. And what he imagined certainly wasn't that far away from the truth. Jack and Jim Turner had gone back years and were quite friendly outside of school. But they both shared the same competitive streak that bore down into their teams and when Jack found out Jim was the coach for the West High Knights, he had stepped up on his training regime; for the two men had continual bets with each other during every match they had together.

As Lucille and Gabriella set the table and dished up the lasagne, Troy and Jack proceeded in their competitive and totally-basketball-fanatics speech. Lucille scolded them for not being gentlemen and allowed the girl's to do all the work but her words went unnoticed as Troy reminisced on the last game of the season and how the Knights looked on dejected as Troy lifted the trophy high up calling out the infamous Wildcats chant. Gabriella seated herself next to Troy and felt her mouth water as she inhaled the gorgeous smell of the food and was eternally grateful that Lucille could make _the_ best lasagne on earth. She chuckled as Troy turned to her, the basketball talk long forgotten as Jack finally asked his wife how her day was and Troy placed a hand on his girlfriend's thigh, a confused look on his face as to why she was so amused.

"You totally go into another world when you're talking about basketball." She laughed, taking in a mouthful of her food.

"Uh huh. You should see me when I'm talking about you." His hand trailed down and squeezed her knee gently.

"Good things, I hope, Mr. Bolton."

"Only the best." Troy leaned over and placed a small kiss on her cheek before turning back to his food and wolfing it down in large mouthfuls. He did pause when he heard his mother telling Gabriella about the latest baby memory she'd thought of and before Gabriella could listen intently, Troy hushed Lucille and tried to change the subject – something he knew would have no effect because he knew his mother would tell Gabriella later on anyway.

As Jack cleared all the plates away, Lucille rubbed her hands together and glanced at the clock on the wall. "Ah, quick, quick! 'Dancing with the Stars' is on!"

Troy groaned and then laughed when he could hear his Dad's moans of protest from the kitchen. He turned to look at Gabriella. "Nah, you know what? As _tempting_ as that sounds, Mom; unfortunately I've got a movie date with my bonnie lass, here."

"Actually, Lucy, 'Dancing with the Stars' sounds like fun-"

"No!" Troy cut Gabriella off and quickly grasped her hand, pulling her out of her seat and out of the dining room towards the stairs. Lucille watched in pure amusement and happiness, loving how the two were just so perfect for each other. Gabriella chuckled as Troy dragged her up the stairs and they heard Jack groan, "How did he get to escape?" before they reached Troy's bedroom.

Troy's bedroom. The typical teenage boy's room. The walls were painted a deep blue – "blue for boys" as Lucille would always comment – and on them were various framed photos dedicated to Troy's basketball heroes and one for one of his old playing jerseys; name and number on the back. His official photograph which was taken after he was voted captain was sat on his desk amongst various textbooks and schoolwork that were carelessly sprawled out over the surface. And then there were the pictures of him and Gabriella… One picture that was taken of them both singing 'Breaking Free' at the end of Twinkle Towne was sat on the his chest of drawers next to his bedroom door whilst the other – a cute picture of them both taken during the summer; Troy in his basketball gear sitting on the grass in his back yard whilst Gabriella was sat behind him; her arms wrapped securely around his neck and her lips pressed to his cheek – that one was sat on his bedside table. Troy owned various others that were pinned up in his locker and one was sellotaped to the front of one of his school folders.

In true boy fashion – as Taylor called it – dirty shirts were sprawled out all over the floor, just waiting for Lucille to come in and collect them on laundry day and very rarely, was Troy's bed ever made. As they walked into the room, Gabriella let out a small gasp as she saw that Troy had made his bed; not perfectly but the fact it looked tidy was a shock. His large basketball pillow was sat neatly in the middle of the bed and Troy grinned when he saw her face.

"You were prepared, weren't you? You knew I'd be here tonight this morning, didn't you?"

"I may have been, Miss Montez." Gabriella rolled her eyes and jumped onto the bed, immediately picking up the basketball pillow and throwing it up and down in the air as Troy flicked on his television and started looking through the channels. "What are we watching?"

"'Friends'!" Gabriella called out as Troy flicked past a 'Friends' episode. Unamused, he looked back at her.

"Gabi, I can't watch yet another episode of 'Friends'. We've seen them all at least twenty thousand times."

"But the humour never dies." Gabriella argued and threatened to throw the pillow in Troy's direction.

"I swear, if I see _another _'Friends' episode, I'll-"

"You'll what?" She interrupted with a knowing smile. "Laugh out loud and then make out you don't really find it funny like you always do?" It was true. Everytime he succumbed to her and let her watch her favourite sitcom, he would laugh out loud at every funny moment and then pretend he had a bad cough when he realised Gabriella was looking at him. It was always fun to see the look on her face when he tried to say that he didn't know what she was talking about when she accused him of laughing.

"Ha de ha. Hilarious, Montez. How about 'The Exorcist'?"

"No!" Gabriella put down the basketball pillow and glared at him to see if he was being serious. Troy laughed at her expression, remembering when he had first showed her the movie. In his defence, he did warn her beforehand that it would scare her; to which Gabriella scoffed and said she was 'fearless and fantastic'. As soon as the film started, Gabriella had been glued to Troy's side; her face constantly buried in his neck and her tiny fingers grasping his shirt as she wailed whenever Regan came onto the screen. Troy hadn't minded; he loved it when she attached herself to him like a leech and he felt like she had that trust in him to protect her. It was only a silly horror movie, but Troy liked the idea of him protecting her and as he switched the film off halfway through when Gabriella hid behind his basketball pillow, he comforted her with his kisses and cuddles. That didn't stop her from calling him in the middle of the night later on, saying she was certain her bed was rocking and that she could _definitely_ hear the devil screaming. He had to convince her at 3am that it wasn't real.

Remembering all this, Troy chuckled under his breath and abandoned the idea; resorting to 'Friends' instead – much to Gabriella's delight. Quick as a wildcat, Troy jumped on the bed and positioned himself against the headboard and pulled Gabriella to him so she sat in-between his legs, her back pressed against his chest. Resting his chin on her shoulder, he could see her attention was completely focused on the episode that she had most likely seen a million times. His arms would around her and he watched as she caught his hands in hers and lifted them to inspect them. Troy loved it when she played with his hands, running her fingers up and down his palm and in between each finger. Occasionally she'd play with his class ring that sat on the third finger of his right hand, twirling at around and pulling it off his finger and then putting it back on. The ring he wore actually now officially belonged to Gabriella, since he had given it to her as a token of how committed he was to her; but since her fingers were so small, the ring just kept falling off, in which case she had suggested he continue to wear it for her; both still in the knowledge that it was technically hers.

Troy let his left hand fall back to her waist as Gabriella continued to fiddle with his right hand; her eyes still focused on the television in front of them; her fingers inattentively curling around his. Loving the tenderness of the moment, Troy placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. Gabriella leaned back further into his embrace without even being aware she was doing it. His nose gently grazed over her cheek before he placed another two kisses there and down the side of her face, eventually working to the curve of her neck where he suckled and nipped.

Gabriella allowed her eyes to slowly close and then open again, feeling herself melt at his touch. She tried to concentrate on the episode where Ross was trying to convince a reluctant Rachel that they were lobsters after Phoebe had explained to him that lobsters mate for life and can be actually seen walking around their tanks holding claws.

"Do you really think that's going to work on me, Wildcat?" Gabriella grinned, already knowing that it was working.

"Hmm." Troy answered, brushing her curls further away so he could attack her earlobe; to which Gabriella gasped lightly.

"Do you love me?"

"Hmm." Troy answered again; his right now free from Gabriella's gasp as he ran his fingertips down her throat softly, causing her to tilt her head back to give him more access to her neck. She knew he wasn't really paying attention to her words.

"Do you think we're lobsters?"

Troy nibbled at the part of her neck he knew she loved, and he was rewarded by a groan as he nipped at her pulse. "Hmm-mm." Finally came his answer.

Gabriella grinned wickedly. "Don't you think Chad looks hot in his basketball gear?"

"Hmm…" Troy continued to kiss her but pulled back swiftly when Gabriella burst out in hysterical giggles. "What?" He asked breathlessly as she turned her head to look at him.

"You just said yes when I asked you if you thought Chad was hot."

"Hey!" Troy's eyes widened. "That's… not fair. You know I wasn't paying attention."

Gabriella cocked an eyebrow before twisted her body so she was straddling his lap. She seated herself down on him, her legs winding around his back as their hips fitted together perfectly. Troy tightly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her even closer to they were hip-to-hip, chest-to-chest and foreheads pressed together. "So when I asked you if you loved me, your answer wasn't totally truthful."

"Hey, wait." Troy placed a kiss on the tip of her nose. "I never heard you say that! Well… I did… a bit… But I didn't mean… Wait…"

Gabriella chuckled blissfully as Troy yet again got incredibly tongue-tied. "Joking, Wildcat. I love you." She moved in to kiss him.

"Like jelly tots?"

"Lots more than jelly tots." With that tender, yet girly comment, Troy moved forward to capture Gabriella's lips with his, but the sly look in her eye told him he wouldn't be getting his kisses that easily and she leaned back so she was lying on top of his legs. With a roll of his eyes, Troy pushed her shirt up exposing her stomach before blowing a raspberry on her skin. She giggled in delight but as his fingers crept up her sides to where she was ticklish, Gabriella quickly sat back up and wound her arms around his neck; meeting his lips with hers in a feverish kiss. She moaned lightly when she felt Troy grasp onto her tighter and then gently roll them over so he was resting on top.

Troy paused his actions as he felt Gabriella's hands leave his neck and travel down his body, stopping at the buttons of his jeans which she proceeded to undo at a slow rate. A please smile on her lips, she began to softly kiss his neck as her fingers completed their mission. She was nervous, no doubt about it – but she loved him and she wanted to show it. She'd promised her Mom she would hold off from having sex until visiting the doctor, but that didn't mean there weren't more ways to please her boyfriend. The shy and timid Gabriella seemed to be gone as she reached into his trousers and eventually his boxers; gripping him in her hand before she slowly started to pump her hand up and down. Troy didn't get a chance to question her motives; his face quickly buried in the curve of her neck and he grunted in pleasure n response to her actions.

"Gabi." His breath hitched as she quickened her pace; her other hand coming up and trailing through his hair as he put gentle kisses on her neck in between haggard breaths. Gabriella kissed down the side of his face and gently tugged on his earlobe as he reached closer to his peak. She felt happiness and a swell of pride that she, freaky-math girl and nerd Gabriella Montez, could invoke such feelings into her boyfriend. She held onto him tightly as he finally let go and tumbled into ecstasy, her hand stilling as he moaned into her neck.

As he recovered, her hands ran through his hair and down his back, keeping him pressed tightly against her. Gabriella kissed his face as he slowly lifted his head and looked down at her before kissing her gently.

"Gabi… that was…"

She kissed him again and he melted into her again. "Love you, Wildcat."

"Love you too." Their lips met again in a fierce passion and Gabriella suddenly wished the doctor's visit had been the day before because if it had been, there would be no limits, no barriers between them. But since life sucked at the best of times, they would have to wait another week for that one moment of bliss.

**A/N: Hands up if you want to magically transform into Vanessa Hudgens! My, my; what a long chapter that was! I'm tired out! Just a quick note to let you guys know that this may be my last update for two weeks… going on holiday to Las Vegas on the 14****th**** – my 21****st**** birthday present from my mum and dad! Woohoo! We've already been to Vegas twice, but we love it so much and now that I can drink and gamble over there, we've got to celebrate it! We're always in the USA – we can't keep away! **

**I'll try to update the day before we go, but that all depends on how far along I am with packing. This weekend will be spent celebrating my birthday – Saturday, me and my friends are all going out clubbing; Sunday, I'll have friends and family over for Sing Star, Poker, Guitar Hero and my new High School Musical Board Game that my best friend Rob bought me for my birthday (I already know what it is since he came in to where I work to buy it and shouted to me, "Holly! I got your present; I'm going to buy it!"). Then Monday the 12****th**** is my actual birthday – wahey! Only thing is, I've got to do a ten-minute presentation at university which goes towards my final degree mark – how sucky is that?! A presentation on my birthday?! Grr! **

**Anyway, this 'quick' note isn't turning out to be so quick so I'll shut up! Thanks again for all your reviews – they're very much appreciated and I hope you enjoy this fluff-filled chapter xx I leave for Vegas on the 14****th**** and if I get chance on the 13****th****, I'll try and update for you. No promises though so if I don't update, it'll be another two weeks before I can post anything. **

**Thanks again, guys. Much love, Holly xx [Oh and in the words of our very own Zac Efron; 'BOOMSHAKALAKA!' xx**


	18. Half Human, Half Fish Fetish

**EIGHTEEN – Half-Human, Half-Fish Fetish**

"_I'll never let go, Jack, I promise." _

"But, Kate; you just did!" Gabriella cried out towards the television screen as Leonardo DiCaprio slowly descended to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Sat beside her on the couch, Taylor was crying just as much; the mixture of mascara and tears cascading down her face as Leo disappeared from sight. Sat at the other end of the couch, Martha was letting the odd tear fall but trying to pretend the end scene of 'Titanic' didn't bother her as much as it did Gabriella and Taylor. She was failing miserably. Sat on the floor, picking at a bowl full of cheese puffs, Kelsi was frowning at her friends and looking slightly disturbed at how they were all reacting to a movie.

"Selfish. Just pure selfish!" Taylor was practically screaming at the screen as Kate Winslet got rescued. "There was plenty of room on that door and the selfish bitch took the whole lot up!"

"No." Gabriella shook her head hopefully; both girls were getting too far into the film for Kelsi's liking. "That door would have sunk with them both on it…" she hiccupped as more tears fell. "She knew he was going…She was just hoping that…a… b-boat w-would come… And it d-didn't! Just one boat…"

"_1500 people fell into the sea…when Titanic sank from under us…"_

"1500 people! 1500 people!" Gabriella and Taylor repeated with heavy sobs.

"…_There were twenty boats nearby…"_

"My God! _Only_ twenty!" Martha started to join in as she finally gave up on trying to keep composed and Kelsi rolled her eyes as the three girls held hands as they watched. She pulled her cellphone from her pocket and text Troy – begging him to hurry up and get his ass round to Gabriella's house before she hung herself to relieve the pain of the most soppiest film on earth.

"…_and only one came back…"_

"One! Out of twenty!" Taylor called out in disbelief, leaning forward and spreading her arms out wide dramatically; questioning the old Rose who was telling the ending of her story. Funnily enough, Taylor didn't get an answer from the screen.

"…_Six were saved from the water…"_

"Six?! Six!" Gabriella joined Taylor's dramatic movements and Kelsi groaned into her hands. If she had to hear another word, she was certain she'd end her life within the new few seconds. She didn't see what the big deal was about the film. If she had her way, it would be something with a little comedy and lots of action. But only hours earlier, she was out-voted by her three friends and it made her wonder just why she'd given in so easily.

The four girls had gotten together early that Saturday morning to go shopping for new dresses for the Fall Ball. Being a tom-boy at heart, Kelsi hated the idea of shopping and hated wearing anything girly a lot more. When Gabriella had pointed out a pink dress to her at the mall, Kelsi had scrunched her nose up and made vomiting expressions – more because the dress reminding her of something Sharpay would have in her closet and that in itself made it completely disgusting. Gabriella, Taylor and Martha had each bought something that was not too formal whereas Kelsi had refused dresses and bought herself a new hat. Like Ryan, she could not go far without a hat sitting comfortably on her head.

Kelsi wanted to thank the heavens in a drama-filled moment as she heard Gabriella's front door open and Troy and Chad enter the living room. Gabriella, Taylor and Martha didn't seem to notice as Troy and Chad walked up behind the couch and greeted a grinning Kelsi before scrunching their faces up in disgust; finally noticing what the girls were watching.

"Seriously, have you girls got _no_ taste?"

"Shh!" Gabriella, Martha and Taylor hushed Chad up, who feigned hurt and looked at his best friend whose eyebrows were raised.

"What? No hello?" Troy tried his luck but was instantly rewarded with Gabriella gesturing him to be quiet. "Wow. Love you too, Honey." He responded sarcastically and Kelsi sniggered behind her hand as Gabriella ignored him.

"At least you two haven't gone through _three whole hours _of it!"

As the end credits finally began to roll, Martha, Gabriella and Taylor gently began to sway from left to right as Celine Dion's voice boomed out. Kelsi pt her face in her hat and groaned into it as 'My Heart Will Go On' began.

"Dude, does Gabriella have 'Die Hard'?" Chad lightly slapped Troy's bicep.

"No she does not." Gabriella replied from the couch as she, Taylor and Martha raised their arms and swayed along with the music.

"And to think we came here to see our gorgeous girlfriends and they're more interested in that Leonardo dude. What is wrong with the world?" Chad folded his arms, expecting Taylor to take notice of it. She didn't. Dejected, Chad turned his attention back to Troy, who had leaned his arms against the back of the couch behind Gabriella, waiting for her to acknowledge him. "Dude, let's go back to Jason's… Shoot some hoops."

At that comment, Gabriella reached behind her and latched onto Troy's arm before he could move and swung it over her shoulder before lacing her fingers with his. Troy looked at Chad and shrugged nonchalantly. "Sorry, Dude; looks like I'm staying."

Chad sighed loudly and shook his head in pity as Troy started to sway along with the girls, a mischievous grin on his face. Gabriella was keeping a tight hold on his hand as they swayed back and forth; Taylor singing along with Celine. As the song finally ended, Chad marched around the couch and towards the DVD Player where he proceeded in removing the disk and ending his and Kelsi's pain.

"Thank you!" Kelsi breathed, finally removing her hat from her face and placing it back on her head.

"That film is so amazing." Taylor breathed; her eyes red and puffy from the crying. Gabriella and Martha's faces matched her own and Taylor started to chuckle as she looked at them. Troy unwound his fingers from Gabriella and seated himself next to her on the couch, allowing her to snuggle back into him. His arms encased her and he watched as Chad stood in front of the television, his face a picture of horror at Taylor's comment.

"Amazing? Babe, I seriously don't think so! And what's with the crying? So some dude turns into a giant ice cube and sinks into the ocean? So what? You guys really need to watch some super-cool action films."

"Such as?" Taylor gestured with her hand for Chad to continue.

"Something butch and manly!" Chad pumped his biceps to further his point. "The Terminator. Top Gun. Indiana Jones. Star Wars. Films like that are only worth watching."

"Right." Taylor folded her arms, a wicked grin on her face. "So 'The Little Mermaid' is butch and manly too then?"

Everybody's faces sharply turned from Taylor straight to Chad, who had a deep blush emitting on his cheeks. "Ariel is hot."

"Dude…the _mermaid_ is hot?" Troy narrowed his eyes, suddenly feeling very disturbed about his best friend.

"Er…yeah!" Chad called out exasperated. "I thought that was obvious to everybody?"

"Not to me." Gabriella raised a hand, amused with where this conversation was going.

"Nor me." Taylor added. Martha and Kelsi looked on, intrigued.

"Dude, back me up here!" Chad turned to Troy, who sank back into the couch, pulling Gabriella back with him.

"Sorry, man. I prefer real live people… not animated half-human half-fish cartoons."

"Okay." Kelsi butted in before Chad could give Troy a lecture on friendship and loyalty. Chad seemed to be more upset over the fact that Troy didn't think Ariel was attractive and that maybe there was something seriously wrong with him. "Swiftly moving on."

"Yes, lets." Troy ignored the annoyed look on Chad's face and Taylor giggling at him. He turned to Gabriella who had made herself comfortable in his arms and was placing soft kisses on his arm every now and then. "Did you get your dress?" He placed a soft nip on her earlobe, only to see Chad looking at him in disgust, as he always did when Troy took his public displays of affection a little too far.

Gabriella tilted her head back slightly to look at him. "Mmm but don't think you're going to see it, Bolton. You'll see at the dance and not before."

Troy raised his eyebrows and scanned the room to look at everybody else. "What have I done wrong today? No warm welcome? Banned from seeing the dress until the actual night? Anyone else want to have a pop at me?"

At that precise moment, everybody heard the front door open and Maria Montez shouted out a quick hello before they heard her walk into the kitchen to put groceries away. Troy froze in the chair, his face turning bright red as everybody else started to snigger at the situation. Troy hadn't been in the Montez household since the infamous incident and even though Gabriella had insisted that her mother didn't mind, it still didn't stop the flush emitting onto his cheeks.

"Hi, guys." They heard Maria walk through the hallway, towards the living room and as she appeared in the doorway, Gabriella had to bury her face in the pillow to prevent herself from laughing out load. Chad, Taylor, Kelsi and Martha all had red faces due to the fact that they were desperate to break out into hysterics. "Oh, hi, Troy." Maria was now visible to everyone in the room and she didn't seem to notice the looks on everybody's face… or the fact that they were all trying not to look in Troy's direction.

"Um…hi…Maria…"

"You okay there?" she frowned before looking to Gabriella, who still had a pillow pressed to her face. "What are you doing, Gabriella?"

Gabriella tried to swallow her chuckles as she spoke. "Y-yeah, Mom; fine."

Maria raised an eyebrow and looked at the other occupants of the room, who just shrugged and bit their lips. She shook her head and started to walk back out of the room. "Well, whatever you guys are up to, have fun."

"We will." Chad called out. As soon as she was out of sight, everybody let their laughter out much to Troy's dismay. He snatched Gabriella's pillow and buried his own face in it as all of his friends burst out in hysterics at his expense. "Hey, Troy. You did have your trousers fastened up, right?"

"Hilarious, Danforth." Troy muffled from behind the pillow. "Extremely…hilarious." Gabriella reached over and pulled the pillow away from Troy's face and giggled at his hurt expression. "Okay, so can we redirect the conversation back to Chad's fetish for half-humans, half-fishes?"

"Aww, poor baby is embarrassed." Gabriella cooed and kissed him softly.

Troy pouted and etched closer to her. "Very. Please do that again." Gabriella smirked and leaned in closer amongst groans of protest from everyone else in the room. Just as their lips touched, her cellphone began to ring and Gabriella huffed as she sat herself up so she could retrieve it from her jeans pocket. Troy watched her as she looked at the screen which had a picture of Ryan on it, and answered it.

"Hi, Ry. What's up?" Troy wrapped his arms tightly around his girlfriend as more feelings of insecurity and jealousy filled him. Gabriella had sounded… excitedly happy when she answered the phone to Ryan. She didn't _always_ sound like that when he rung her. Troy watched her face as she listened intently to whatever Ryan was saying and frowned when she loosened his grip on her and stood up, walking quickly out of the room as she continued to talk to him. He watched her go, feeling dejected and left out. Why was Evans ringing her? And what did he want?

Chad was meanwhile flicking through various channels on the television until he came to a new episode of 'Spongebob Squarepants'. Upon seeing his favourite cartoon character, Chad let out a sound of triumph and itched himself closer to the television, completely transfixed on the phone.

It was only Kelsi who noticed Troy looking uncomfortable and she patted his leg assuringly. "You okay?"

"Hmm?" Troy answered, not quite taking in what she had said.

"We were only joking earlier. We didn't mean to embarrass you that much."

"Huh? Oh no, I know. I'm okay, Kelsi. I'm fine." Was he? He couldn't really tell at that moment in time. His mind was wandering in circles; two sets of voices in his head. The first voice was his own; telling him that Gabriella and Ryan were just friends; that she loved him and cared for him and would never cheat on him. The voice was Ryan's; whispering what ifs into his ear.

_What if she likes Ryan but doesn't know it?_

_What if she can't choose between me and Ryan?_

_What if she likes Ryan and doesn't really love me but is too scared to tell me?_

_What if something really is going on behind my back?_

_What if she's falling in love with him right now?_

His head was working in over-drive and he fought with himself over and over again. He _knew_ Gabriella wasn't a cheater, he _knew_ she loved him deeply. But _what if_ she was falling for Ryan? She would have no control over her feelings in that instance. _What if_ she was too scared to tell him what she was really feeling and only told him she loved him because she thought that's what he wanted her to do? _What if…?_

_Stop it, Troy! _His heart fought back. But whatever was said, he couldn't stop hat sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach and as he pictured the worst happening, he felt his stomach suddenly tighten and he closed his eyes, wishing he could stop feeling this way.

Gabriella walked back into the room and took her place back beside Troy, an excited smile on her face. All but a deeply engrossed Chad turned to look at her in question, wondering what the call was about.

"Well, that was Ryan. He's been looking at candidates to take Troy's place as male lead but so far, he said they all sucked except one. And the one who didn't suck looked creepy – as in mass-murderer creepy – apparently. So, Ryan said that the only choice left is him."

"What?" Troy spoke up. "Ryan… as male lead?"

Gabriella nodded. "Hmm-mmm. I think it's a great idea. He can sing, he can dance and he can own that stage when he's on it. Without Sharpay, that is. He is the perfect replacement."

"But then who's going to direct it?" Kelsi asked.

"He said he can do both. He's talented; we know he can do it."

Troy leaned back on the couch and heaved a deep breath as he pictured his girlfriend singing a love song with Ryan Evans. "Yeah. Super Ryan to the rescue." No one had sensed the sarcastic tone in his voice as they were too busy discussing the up-coming rehearsals. And as they did, Troy sat back in silence, staring at nothing; as his mind whirled at an even faster rate and he started to lose that argument with himself.

_What if…?_

**A/N: Phew! Told you I'd have a chapter for you before I left! Where there's a will, there's a way!**

**Anyway, want to take this opportunity to thank everybody for their birthday wishes! Thanks you; I had a fantastic weekend! Saturday was spiffing due to glorious drinking activities with my friends… and the pink jellies were out! Sunday was the day my friends spent at my house… playing poker and drinking and general merriment. Present-wise…I got a tag-heuer watch from my mum and dad, a bracelet, dollars for my holiday, a Manchester United shirt and… basically every High School Musical merchandise you can think of!**

**My best friend, Rob, got me the DVD board game [which I totally won on, by the way! along with a sticker book [I got a sticker book for my 21****st****!! Last time I owned a sticker book, I was ten and it was the Spice Girls! with 26 packets of stickers! I also got the Sing Star High School Musical Game [which I rocked at! – already unlocked five HSM2 songs and four characters! from him which was great! From my other friends I got the calendar, the Troy glass, the year book and East High memories book… Oh and a gigantic Troy poster! So in a nutshell, I'm basically drowning in HSM merchandise and I'm a walking advertisement! I got a Wildcats t-shirt aswell and that's packed away from my holiday. Woop! Woop!**

**For my actual birthday, family came over… and I got incredibly drunk. All I can remember from last night was sitting on my own in the living room, singing on HSM Sing Star – soaring, flying, reaching for stars in heaven and generally breaking free – and then heading upstairs to be sick 3 or 4 times. Eek! I'm not a big drinker at all… but when I do drink, I'm such a lightweight and if I have wine [like did last night – oops I'm always sick. Ah, well, a fun weekend by all!**

**Right, now I shall love you and leave you for two weeks. Back to the states we go – Woohoo! LOVE America! Got my dollars ready… Ready to spend, spend, spend! And gamble! Wahey!**

**Thanks again, guys. Hope you liked this chapter! See you in a fortnight! Mwah! Xx**

**Holly xxx**


	19. Serious Butt Kissing

**A/N: Guess who's back. Back again. Hollz is back. Tell a friend.**

**Okay, so I'm kind of miffed I'm back purely because Vegas gets more and more amazing every time we go and I really was not ready to come home yet. Didn't spend a lot of time gambling, but when I did, I lost. Aah well. Such is life. Las Vegas is a fantastic place and if you ever get the chance to go, please do! It's absolutely amazing! And we rented a Hummer! Haha! I made Dad get a Hummer coz its like… the American car! Dad hated it! Lol but hey, it rocked! **

**Anyway, so back home, completely jetlagged and ready for more High School Musical goodness! Here's the next chapter, Peeps. Hope you enjoy! And again, thanks to all reviewers, readers and everybody who gave me great birthday wishes! Mwah! Mwah! Xx Holly xX**

**NINETEEN – Serious Butt-Kissing**

_Okay, this is where the future gets _really_ scary… _Troy breathed in deeply as he and Chad made their way into the cafeteria that Monday morning. Classes had been put off for all seniors as representatives from major universities and colleges had set up various stands around the cafeteria with leaflets and prospectuses to give them as much information as possible before they decided where they wanted to attend next year. Troy already knew his place was at the University of Albuquerque; it was just getting in there that was the hard part.

As they entered the crowded room, Troy quickly scanned around for Gabriella; eager to know where she was thinking of applying. Whatever her decision was, it would effectively become a long distance relationship they'd be entering into, and Troy was determined they'd both make it together through college.

He spotted Zeke and Jason standing next to the Berkeley stand, flicking through one of their prospectuses. Although basketball was the main love of their lives, it was common knowledge that Zeke wanted to take on a culinary course and become a chef. Ever since he'd worked along Chef Michaels at Lava Springs, it had been all Zeke could talk about. Although Jason wasn't great at academics, he'd let it slip that he'd wanted to take on a media course and become a journalist on television.

Troy sighed. Next year wouldn't be the same. Sure, he was looking forward to starting at U of A, having his own responsibilities and making new friends, but he wasn't so sure he'd be able to say goodbye to the people he had known from a very young age – those people who had stuck by him thick and thin. And Gabriella. He knew his girlfriend would most likely be accepted into Harvard or somewhere equally as important. With a brain like hers, she wouldn't just apply for just any college. If she was accepted to Harvard, he knew he'd be pleased for her – just the fact that he wouldn't be able to see her everyday pained him.

"Hey, Dude, there's our calling." Chad gestured over to the University of Albuquerque stand, pulling Troy out of his trance. Chad was also aiming for a basketball scholarship at U of A, and after the infamous fiasco at Lava Springs, Troy was determined that he and Chad would work together for their ultimate goal. Win or lose.

"Good morning, guys." The representative got up from his seat as Troy and Chad approached the sign and looked down at the various leaflets. "Thinking of starting your future at U of A?"

"Er…yeah." Chad answered, picking up a leaflet and quickly flicking through it. "Where's your section about basketball?"

"Ah, you want to play for the mighty Redhawks, ay?" The representative picked up the university prospectus and opened up the page that featured information about the basketball. "Here." He handed the book to Chad. "I think you'll find all the information you'll need in here. I'm James Fellows and I'm here if you have any questions at all."

"What about scholarships?" Troy asked as Chad continued to read about the Redhawks' victories.

James smiled; finally glad that for the first time that morning, he could actually _discuss_ U of A with some students. Others had mindlessly walked up, taken a prospectus and then walked away again. "You both want to attend U of A on a basketball scholarship? That's fantastic! And you are?" James held out his hand for Chad to shake.

"Chad Danforth." They shook hands.

"Troy Bolton." As James shook his hand, Troy saw the realisation in his face.

"Wow. Captain of the Wildcats. You know, I saw that championship game you had against West High last season. Amazing that you managed to score in the last second of the game!"

"Well, it wouldn't have happened if Jason hadn't have stolen the ball and passed it over. If not for him and the spirit of the rest of the team we would have lost for sure."

"I've never seem modesty in a basketball star before." James laughed softly. "Surely, young man, you should be proud of what you achieved in that game."

"Well, yeah." Troy blushed a little and gestured to Chad, not wanting him to be forgotten. "I'm really proud of what the _team_ achieved. Everybody worked so hard in practise and it really was reflected in the game."

James sat himself down again and leaned forward on the stand before pulling a file from his suitcase. He opened up the file and showed Troy the page that was dedicated to him and various facts about him. James pointed to the first paragraph. "It says here that you were the first second-year student to make the varsity basketball team and that upon being elected as Wildcats captain, you led your team towards many victories and straight into the championship for the first time in three years. I know all about you, Mr. Bolton. Coach Reynolds, the Redhawks coach has told me to look out for you."

"Really?" Troy was stunned more than anything, feeling as though somebody had been stalking him for the past few years.

"Really. Vance Evans also had a lot of good things to say about you too. Said he'd spent the summer discussing the prospect of a scholarship with you at U of A, but never received any confirmation on the subject."

"Well, I…" Troy was still reeling from the file dedicated to him. "I got a bit too ahead of myself during the summer and it was really nice of Mr. Evans to offer his support but I think I really need to work at this on my own."

"But you are still interested?"

"Of course. Definitely. And Chad here is interested too."

James turned his gaze to Chad, who suddenly perked up. "Ready and willing, Mr. Fellows."

"I remember you too, Mr. Danforth." James nodded his head slowly. "Nice moves you've got on that basketball court. The Redhawks would definitely benefit having you two on the squad." Chad and Troy exchanged excited grins before drawing their attention back to the representative. "If you guys just fill these forms out for me, I'll get back to the superiors back at the university and we can look more closely at the athletic scholarship program. No doubt scouts will be attended the majority of your games throughout the year so make sure you keep on top form. Every game counts."

_No pressure then… _Troy took the form and picked up a spare pen and started jotting down his details.

"You'll also be invited to play along side the Redhawks at some point. I know the team have taken a strong liking to you already, Mr. Bolton, but this is where it all counts. And on some personal advice for you both, scholarships are hard to get, so play well all year and do some serious butt-kissing. You can't go wrong with butt-kissing in this instance."

"I'll kiss all the butts you like!" Chad exclaimed as he finished filling out his form. "I'll be the best butt-kisser in the whole of butt-kissing land! If there was an Oscar to be given out for best butt-kisser, I'd definitely win the prize! I'd-"

"Chad. Too much." Troy stopped him mid-rant.

James was laughing. "Well, I'm glad to hear it! Is there anything else I can help you guys with?"

"No, no." Troy clutched his prospectus. "I think we've got all the information we'll need for now."

James stood up again to shake their hands. "Well, I can assure you both you'll be contacted in the near future. As I said, there will be a scout attending the majority of your up-coming games, though unfortunately, you won't know who he or she is. All you guys can do is play at your very best."

"Will do. Thank you, Mr. Fellows." Troy shook his hand and Chad took his turn to do so.

"Good luck." James Fellows smiled as the two guys turned and walked away from the stand.

"Man, this is great." Chad grinned as they neared the centre of the cafeteria. "Schools out for the day, the sun is shining, birds are chirping and _we_ are on our way to superstardom. You think the Redhawks are good now? Just wait until we get there!"

"It's not finalized, Chad." Troy rolled his eyes at his friend's enthusiasm. "Just because the Rep likes what he sees, doesn't mean it's going to be done-deal."

"Are you mad, Bolton? Or just plain stupid?" Chad glared at him. "We just need to play at our best. That's all we can do; you heard the guy. We play utterly fantastic at every game and it _is_ a done-deal. He's already impressed and so is the coach. I mean _come on_, they've been watching you!"

"Yeah, that was kinda…creepy." Troy shuddered. "Hey man, I'm sorry about the whole focusing-on-me part. I didn't want you leaving out of it again but he just wouldn't shut up…"

Chad patted his shoulder. "Dude, don't worry about it. It's not your fault the entire world thinks that the sun shines out of your backside!"

Troy laughed and rolled his eyes, glad that his friend held no grudges. "Very funny. But I'm serious; I don't want to lose myself through this again. I'm trusting you and Gabi to keep me completely grounded."

"Sure thing, man. Don't worry about a thing. Me and Gabs will be the best partners in crime in like… ever!"

"That's good." Troy answered, amused at his best friend. "Just as long as you have enough time for all the butt-kissing you promised to do for the rest of the year."

"Hey!" The two turned around upon hearing Taylor's voice. Taylor linked her arm with Chad's while Gabriella walked out from behind her and greeted her boyfriend. "Whose butt is Chad kissing this week?"

"Doesn't sound like it's yours!" Gabriella quipped, wrapping an arm around Troy's waist – the other was full of college prospectuses.

"This representative dude." Chad responded, ignoring Gabriella's witty remark. "He's gonna help me and Troy with the scholarship deal… _and _he said that the Redhawks would benefit having us both on the team."

"Wow, that's fantastic." Gabriella looked up to Troy. "Aren't you excited?"

Troy shrugged, his own arm slipping around Gabriella's waist. "Nothing's certain yet and I'm not getting my hopes up. I'm just going to play basketball the only way I know how and see what happens."

Gabriella frowned at him mockingly, nudging him gently with her elbow. "I can't believe you're not more excited over this, Troy. Scholarships don't just happen you know; you're really lucky to have this opportunity."

"Adding the pressure, Montez, really does not help." Troy narrowed his eyes at her jokingly, pressing his forehead against hers.

As Zeke and Jason approached, ready to discuss their own desired colleges, Chad broke up the conversation and looked at his watch. "Can I just announce that it's nearly midday, school is out for the day and we are _still_ standing here!"

"For once, Chad does have a point." Taylor added.

"Wow. Chad actually has a point?" Ryan suddenly appeared by Taylor's side with what looked to be a new bright blue hat sitting on his head. "How could I have missed that?"

Chad chuckled, holding out his clenched hand so they could hit knuckles. "Ha ha, Evans. You're getting wittier every day."

Ryan laughed, punching knuckles with Jason and Zeke before finally reaching Troy. Not wanting to be rude and still unsure of his own state of mind, Troy reluctantly returned the gesture as he held onto Gabriella that little bit tighter. Nobody else seemed to notice his change of expression on his features, especially when Chad suggested they all go to the park to shoot some hoops.

"…and I'll show you a thing or two about being the ultimate player of basketball." Chad lightly punched Ryan's shoulder.

"You know, I just am not in the mood to make an ass out of myself."

"Oh come on." Gabriella piped up, tapping his arm. "You'll do fine. Just don't copy from Chad _too_ much, okay?"

Troy watched her exchange with Ryan and didn't like the smile on Ryan's face when Gabriella tapped his arm. His other arm went around her waist and though he new she couldn't get any closer to him, he still attempted the action – so much so, Gabriella was practically standing on his feet.

"I'll try not to." Ryan laughed. "Wow. You got a lot of prospectuses." Troy followed Ryan's gaze to the amount of books that were in Gabriella's grasp. She had been busy. Troy tried to get a closer look at the top one and saw the beginning part of Harvard University. Massachusetts. _Could she move any further away?_

"Yeah, yeah. Yadda, yadda." Chad sighed. "Come on, guys. Getting really bored here. Let's go shoot some hoops!" Zeke, Jason, Taylor and Ryan followed Chad's lead. Gabriella moved to follow but was pulled back by Troy.

"What?" She raised an eyebrow.

Troy gazed down at her intently. "Nothing." He shrugged, leaning his face down slowly. "Come here."

Gabriella didn't question his motives as he kissed her gently. Expecting only a short kiss, she let out a squeak of shock when he splayed one hand tightly against her lower back, the other curling around her neck, pushing her deeper into the ever-growing kiss. She let herself fall into it, as she always did; her free arm finding its way around his neck.

When he finally broke free for air, Gabriella fluttered her eyes open slowly and breathed. "Wow. That was earth-shattering. What was it in aid of?"

"Just reminding you how much I love you."

Gabriella smirked and gently tapped their noses together. "Why? In case I'd forgotten?"

Troy laughed softly with her joke, wondering if there was any truth in that statement. He was temporarily reassured of any doubts when she breathed "I love you too" over his mouth before kissing him gently.

"Come on." Gabriella pulled away from his embrace. "They'll be waiting for us." She struggled with the mass of books in her hand and upon noticing, Troy took them from her, flicking through the first few quickly. Gabriella couldn't help but notice the look of disappointment on his face as he worked out just how far away she'd be next year.

As they slowly walked hand-in-hand from the cafeteria, Gabriella tried to hide the smirk on her face as she thought about the University of Albuquerque prospectus and application forms that were hiding secretly in her locker. She couldn't wait to surprise him.


	20. Mr Moo

**TWENTY – Mr. Moo**

"Come _on_, Evans; concentrate!" Jason threw the ball back towards Ryan, who was really not seeing the great appeal in the sport of basketball. "You've got to _think_ like the ball. _Be_ the ball!"

"What?" Chad breathed, walking towards the two lads who were stood at the centre of the small basketball court that was situated in the middle of the park. "What a load of cock! How the _hell_ did you learn all of your skills in the first place, Cross?"

"Sheer miracle?" Zeke offered a suggestion as he tried to catch his breath. The three had spent the last hour trying to teach Ryan the basics of basketball, but so far he wasn't catching on. Chad was disappointed – after having witnessed Ryan's skills on the baseball pitch; he'd hoped he would have been able to show the same brilliance with a basketball. Alas, it was not to be.

"Look." Ryan breathed deep as he threw the ball towards Zeke. "This sport is _just_ not for me."

Chad folded his arms, a mischievous grin on his face. "But I thought you said you had game."

Ryan narrowed his eyes, enjoying the competitive streak he and Chad had in common. "As you don't seem to be aware of the situation, I'll explain it to you. Baseball and basketball are two different sports – in fact the only thing they have in common is the fact that the have the word 'ball' in their names. Would you like me to describe how the sports differ in greater detail?"

Jason and Zeke muffled laughs at Chad's expression as his eyes squinted at the latest addition to their group of friends. "You know, Evans, I think I preferred you when you were the Ice Queen's poodle."

"Well then." Ryan smirked and gestured for Zeke to return the basketball, which he did. "I guess you've only got yourself to blame, Danforth. You've officially created a monster. Deal with it."

"Woooahh!" Zeke and Jason laughed hysterically at Chad's defeat as Ryan started to dribble the ball towards the hoop and made the shot. Zeke and Jason clapped as Ryan took a victorious bow and Chad shook his head slowly with a sly smile.

"See. You learn from the best. Now, are you ready for a game of two-on-two?"

Ryan scrunched his nose up. "Nah. Don't think so. Think I'll go over and sit with the girls." He gestured over to the grass where Gabriella and Taylor were sat chatting; Troy lying flat on his back in-between them. "Maybe Troy wants to play; I'll just slow you guys down."

"Yeah, let's see if Romeo wants to play." Chad put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly in Troy's direction. Only Gabriella and Taylor responded to the call whereas Troy stayed completely still on the ground. Chad whistled again and saw that Gabriella had realised he was after Troy's attention when she started to nudge her boyfriend. Again, Troy didn't move. Gabriella turned her head back to Chad and shrugged her shoulders – it didn't seem as though he wanted to play. "Boring!" Chad yelled across the court, knowing that his friend had heard him and was just choosing to ignore him. Twirling on his heel, Chad looked back at Ryan. "You lose, Evans. You're going to have to play now."

"What?" Ryan slumped his shoulders. "But-"

"But, nothing. If you don't play you'll be a total twit because then the teams will be unfair and you would have ruined the entire game."

Ryan let out a loud sigh and the three guys rejoiced when he got into position and gestured for them to pass the ball.

Meanwhile, lying down on the cool grass with closed eyes, Troy was listening to Gabriella and Taylor talk about the next scholastic decathlon tournament. Gabriella moved to a lying position on her side to Troy's right and placed her hand delicately against his chest as she continued to listen to Taylor intently. Taylor was sitting upright on Troy's left, and with the amount of talking she was doing, it was as though she'd forgotten Troy was even there.

That theory flew out of the window when Troy found Taylor had paused. "Is he sleeping? Can we doodle on his face?"

"Don't even think about it." Troy murmured, causing Gabriella to giggle at him. "Unless you wish to die a painful death." He kept his eyes closed from behind his sunglasses and smiled softly as Gabriella continued to laugh as she gently rubbed her hand in small circles on his stomach.

Taylor let out a loud huff. "Why aren't you playing with the rest of the jocks?"

"Because I am basking in this glorious sunshine and having some much deserved rest." Troy replied, his forearm reaching up and resting over his forehead. "Besides it won't be much of a game with a beginner in the mix, will it?"

"Oh, I don't know." Taylor looked back towards the court where Chad had made yet another basket. "Ryan's a quicker learner than you think. You never know, you may get a new addition to the team soon."

"Doubtful." Troy mumbled. Neither girl picked up on the sarcasm that had erupted from him – they were too busy thinking about their own little jokes, and new ways to wind up the Wildcats superstar. He felt Gabriella slide up closer to his side, her head propped up on her hand just beside his shoulder. Though his eyes were closed, he could feel her grinning at Taylor and didn't bother to ask what was going on. He'd soon find out anyway.

"Come on, Troy." Taylor whined, shoving his shoulder abruptly. "Go play basketball, already."

As Gabriella chuckled at her best friend, Troy sat up slightly and slowly pulled his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose so he could glare at her. "Are you guys trying to get rid of me?"

"Well, how do you expect us to talk about you when you're sat right there?" Gabriella responded, before sniggering at his raised eyebrows.

"Talk about _what_, exactly?"

Taylor rolled her eyes and stretched out her legs; a playful smile on her face. "Oh, come on, Troy. You know girls talk, right?"

"About…?"

Taylor held herself back from bursting into hysterical giggles as she saw the fright that was beginning to form on Troy's features. She knew she could have a lot of fun with this situation and Gabriella had already sensed the mischief dancing in her eyes.

"Oh, lots of things," Taylor sighed softly, putting on her best thinking face as she innocently played with strands of grass. "Cheesy chat-up lines, hugging, kissing, make-out sessions, things we like, things _you_ like, description of body parts… moves…"

Troy sat up at the speed of lightning; a deep blush on his cheeks becoming more visible to the girls as he took his sunglasses off completely. "_Moves_? You discuss _moves_?"

"Uh huh." Taylor smiled and winked in Gabriella's direction. Gabriella was failing to keep a large grin off her face as Troy was clearly struggling with what he had just heard. "Quite a lot, too."

Troy's head turned to Gabriella, then back to Taylor; going back-and-forth at quite a rate of knots as he tried to work out just _why_ women would do such a thing. "Why? Why? Why on earth would you…? Gabi, you talk about my _moves_?"

Gabriella opened her grinning mouth to speak, but was cut off by Taylor yet again. "Oh, she talks about a _lot_ of stuff, Troy. For example…" Taylor drifted off and itched closer to Troy. He watched her with worry as her hand latched onto his arm and lifted his shirt sleeve up to his shoulder. As Troy opened his mouth to question her motives, Taylor's hand wrapped around his bicep and squeezed hard.

"Hey!" Troy exclaimed as Taylor started squeezing his bicep more. "What the…?"

"I want to know what all the hype is over you at school," she explained; her other hand wrapping around his muscle as she squeezed.

"Gabriella, your best friend is feeling me up." He whined, turning to his girlfriend for some sort of support and blinked hard when he realised he wasn't getting it. "No, wait, my best friend's _girlfriend_ is feeling me up. That's wrong on so many levels."

Gabriella seemed to be ignoring him as she sat up and reached over herself. "No, you gotta squeeze it when it's flexed," she explained to Taylor, bending Troy's arm at the elbow to flex his bicep more. "Troy, flex it more!"

"I'm getting violated here!"

"Oh, hush, stop whining." Gabriella tutted, squeezing it herself. "Just flex it!"

Troy rolled his eyes and let out a small smile at his girlfriend who was just so eager to show off his body. As he flexed his bicep, Gabriella squealed in delight and looked at Taylor who was still contemplating on her final verdict. "How nice does that feel, Tay?" She grinned, giving his arm another squeeze.

"Hmm…" Taylor pursed her lips together and frowned softly. "I don't know if it's enough for a full-on wind-up session that I'll be casting on the cheerleaders at school. I'll need more evidence."

"Wha-?" Troy lifted his head up again but Gabriella gently pushed it back down against the grass and moved her hands to the hem of his shirt. Catching on what she was attempting to do; Troy sat up quickly and held onto her hands to prevent her from going any further. "Woah, Gabi. Enough!"

Gabriella put on her best pout and slowly leaned forward to place a small kiss on his mouth. "But I wanna show Taylor your extremely hot and scrumptious body."

"But it's embarrassing!"

"Oh come on, Basketball Boy." Taylor rolled her eyes and sighed. "Let me make some cheerleaders insanely jealous of Gabriella… Even more so than they are now…"

"And why would you want to cause trouble like that?"

"Er… because it's fun!" Taylor exclaimed as though it was the most obvious thing on earth. Troy looked back to Gabriella who was nodding her agreement. "See, and I thought you were totally whipped, Bolton. Just do as your girlfriend says – sit down and shut up!"

Troy's hands were still holding onto Gabriella's as hers were still gripped to the hem of his shirt. "I'm scared."

"You should be." Taylor folded her arms. "If you don't, I'll tell the whole Wildcats team about how you thought there was this big, green-eyed monster living in your closet until you were eight."

Dismissing Taylor's victorious glare, Troy whipped his head back round to Gabriella; his cheeks now a deep red. "You _told_ her about that? Why? What have I ever done to you?!"

Gabriella bit her lip, a smile evident on her face. "Actually, _your Mom_ told Chad and Taylor. I was just an innocent witness to the conversation."

"What?!"

"Okay, we can keep reeling off the baby stories and tell the entire school or you can let Gabriella explain to me what all the fuss about you is."

Troy didn't even get chance to answer – Gabriella lowered his upper body again and pushed his hands away from hers so she could ease his shirt up. "Now, pay attention, Tay; because I'm sure Chad doesn't have pecs like this…"

As full of pride he was that Gabriella apparently liked to make it public about how much she thought he was hot, Troy was not exactly liking the current situation he was in. Embarrassment was the best way to describe how he was feeling; though he knew it wouldn't even compare to how he would feel if the team knew about the creepy monster that _definitely _did live in his closet when he was younger. Lucille Bolton would most definitely be receiving a punishment for telling his girlfriend yet _another _one of his embarrassing baby stories – though he did have some comfort knowing that the worst she could do was indeed over; Gabriella had already seen, and laughed at, the pictures of him in the bath and on the potty.

Scrunching his eyes closed and forever banishing the memory from his mind, Troy felt Gabriella outline the six-pack that could just be made out. Her soft touches were tickling him slightly, but she didn't seem to notice – too busy describing each and every muscle that adorned her boyfriend's body.

"And look there," Gabriella pointed at his stomach. "Solid as marble. Punch there – he won't feel a thing."

Troy sat back up straight and quickly pulled his shirt back down just as he caught wind of Taylor clenching her fist and drawing her arm backwards, aiming for his stomach. "Okay, I think that's enough embarrassment for one day. I assume Taylor has gathered all her evidence."

Taylor sat back on her legs. "Yeah, that'll do. I'll have plenty to say to those mindless Barbie-dolls."

Troy shook his head slowly, sitting himself up properly and feeling Gabriella slide closer to him and wrap her arm around his lower back as her head fell onto his shoulder. "Seriously, Tay; Jess is doing my head in as it is anyway. You don't need to give her anymore ammunition to throw at me and Gabi."

Taylor shrugged. "Well, we can do it your way and not say a thing about the marble-body-thing. Of course, that means I'll have to think up something else to say about you. Oh, I know…" Taylor winked in Gabriella's direction and now, even she looked worried at what her friend would come out with. "I could talk about Mr. Moo."

Troy suddenly felt his heart beat hammering against his chest. He almost choked on air as Gabriella smiled slightly before burying her face in her hands and letting out a slow, soft moan. "You told her about Mr. Moo?"

Gabriella continued to moan into her hands, whilst Taylor had a look of pure delight on her face. "Your bedtime buddy, Mr. Moo? The white cow with black spots and huge feet that your Mom bought you before you were born? The Mr. Moo that you'd take _everywhere_ with you and you affectionately called him Mr. Moo purely because you said that _"cows go 'moooooooo'!"_ Are we talking about the same Mr. Moo, Troy?"

Feeling sorry for her boyfriend after all the abuse he had received in the last half hour, Gabriella wrapped her arm tightly around his neck as he glared at Taylor; his blush now more obvious than ever. Troy turned his head slightly – as much as he could go with Gabriella attached to it – to look straight at his girlfriend. "I can't believe you told her about Mr. Moo!" He hissed as Taylor burst out into hysterical giggles. "Wait a minute…" he paused, his eyes narrowing. "How did _you_ know about Mr. Moo?"

"Troy, your Mom talks too."

"That I know all too well." Running a hand through his hair and fed up of the constant teasing, Troy went to stand up, but was pulled harshly back by Gabriella, who in the midst of giggling, began to place kissed quickly along his cheek. "No way, Montez; you're not getting away with this so easily."

"But Troooyyy…" Gabriella whined, hanging onto him that little bit tighter. "It's not my fault! Your Mom just told me and showed me the picture of you and Mr. Moo fast asleep on the couch and you had your thumb in your mouth and I just thought it was too cute! I had to tell someone!"

"Why Taylor? Why not your imaginary friend? Why not tell yourself as you look in the mirror? God, I bet the whole team knows as well! Even Chad has kept my teddy a secret all these years."

"It could be arranged." Taylor chuckled; her laughter easing down slowly. "Besides, Chad only kept Mr. Moo a secret for you because you kept Snufflebum a secret for him."

At that, Gabriella fell back onto the grass in hysterical fits of laughter – clutching onto her sides as they became more and more painful with each giggle and hiccup. Troy watched her fall and rolled his eyes before looking back at an amused Taylor. "How do you know about Snufflebum?"

"Chad's Mom talks too. In fact, Troy, while we're on it; _all_ girls talk. Whatever their age. Chad's Mom told me about his precious toy elephant a few weeks ago. In fact, Snufflebum is _still_ in his closet!"

Troy had to let out his own laugh at that – more so as he finally turned to look at Gabriella who was coming out of her hysterical fit. He lay down beside her and brushed the tangled mat of hair from her eyes, causing her to look straight up at him.

"You're a monster, Montez."

"But you love it, Bolton."

"Oh, get a room." Taylor rolled her eyes as she witnessed the couple exchange a kiss. "And when you do, make sure Mr. Moo isn't watching your activities!" She chuckled at her own joke but that chuckle quickly turned into a groan as her two friends were more occupied with each other's mouths rather than her teasing. A sigh of relief was sure to follow her groan as a sweaty Chad ran up to them and plonked himself down beside her.

"Eew." He nodded towards Troy and Gabriella. "Disturbing."

"Tell me about it." Taylor itched closer to her boyfriend, a smirk back on her face. "Hey, Chad; you know how girls talk about _everything_…"

"They do _what?!_"


	21. Mean McLean

**A/N: Okay, guys; here's another beastie chapter for y'all! A few notes beforehand, this chapter is through Jess' eyes and since I like to give everyone a visual, I've based her character on one of the dancers that is frequently seen during the first 'High School Musical' film. You can easily spot her as one of the cheerleaders… but more so as the girl who dances close to Troy during 'We're All in This Together' just as Troy sings **_**"…all our dreams have no limitations…" **_

**Another note, to those who have requested I read their stories… fear not! I have every intention to! Please bear with me though – I've missed two weeks of University since going to Vegas so I'm behind with coursework and the deadline is getting closer! I will read them and offer any advice to you guys who have asked for it. If you want to talk to me properly though, please feel free to e-mail me or add me to MSN – and I'm completely overwhelmed at the reviews! You guys are amazing! Thank you again! **

**Mwah! Holly xx**

**TWENTY-ONE – Mean McLean**

Jessica Leigh McLean – ultimate prima girl of East High School; captain of the cheerleading squad and volleyball team… Rated number one senior girl to win Prom Queen at the end of the school year; voted most attractive East High sweetheart; most popular girl at East High. Guys fought for her attention; girls wanted to be her. Jealous eyes watched her from all angles as she strutted through the corridors everyday – each and every female wishing they could have her stunning good looks, her perfect figure, her beautiful shoulder-length blonde hair and pale baby-blue eyes… the flawless skin, that oozing sex appeal… the most gorgeous and popular guys she always attracted…

But none of that mattered if Troy Bolton wasn't interested in her.

Surrounded by her usual posse of cheerleader friends that next morning in homeroom, Jess – as she was known by to everyone except her mother – glared at Troy Bolton's empty desk at the front of Darbus' classroom, wondering just why he was being so blind. She had spent the week turning down offers from members of the football team and a few members from the basketball team who were desperate for her to go to the Fall Ball with them. Though it was quite clearly obvious to the entire school that Troy would be taking Gabriella, Jess wasn't quite ready to give up on him yet.

Glancing quickly at her Gucci watch and seeing that there was still ten minutes until Darbus would arrive to burst the students ear-drums, Jess ignored her friends who were discussing the latest school gossip and narrowed her eyes as Troy and Gabriella entered the classroom, hand-in-hand. She watched intently as Troy took his seat in front of Chad Danforth and pulled his girlfriend onto his lap as he greeted his friends. Jess watched Gabriella closely; observing her as her arm wrapped around Troy's neck and she laughed at some comment he and Chad had made. Taylor McKessie joined in on the joke and greeted Troy and Gabriella as she sat down on Chad's lap, replacing that ever-present basketball.

What was the sudden appeal with brainiac's? Jess let out a huff as she continued to watch the couples. What a laughing stock East High was turning out to be – a basketball superstar who auditioned for musicals and had an Einsteinette for a girlfriend who had gone from drool to cool in a matter of days since starting there. It just didn't fit – it wasn't right. The athletes hung out together – the most popular boy and girl should be madly in love and showing the entire student body what a perfect couple they make. Wildcat superstar and geeky-nerd girl should _not_ be together.

Jess almost let out a growl as she watched Gabriella lean her face down to Troy's for a quick kiss. How dare she? How _fucking dare she_? She had _no_ right to waltz in, steal the most eligible guy at East High and then drape herself over him for the whole world to see. Especially since Troy and Jess had unfinished business between them – unfinished business that Jess was determined to sort out and put right; as soon as that Montez girl was out of the way.

"You okay, Jess?" Alicia, Jess' current best friend and cheerleading associate tapped her shoulder. When Jess didn't answer, Alicia cast her eyes over to where Jess was looking. Pulling a face, she swung her hair over her shoulder and scoffed, "you know that's just a phase he's going through. All guys have a weird phase where they have to date total geeks. See? Chad's going through it too."

"It's a pretty long phase." Jess mumbled and cursed under her breath as Troy latched onto Gabriella tighter and lightly tickled her sides, causing her to laugh out loud. Technically, _technically_ she and Troy hadn't _really _broken up. _Technically_ they were still a couple, meaning _technically_ Troy was cheating on her with Gabriella. He was obviously going through some insanity phase, considering that _every_ – well, near enough – guy hit on Jess and Gabriella wasn't even _that_ good looking. Jess could have guys drooling within seconds when performing yet another spectacular cheerleading move – raising her legs up high and thrusting her hips as she proceeded in showing them her tight black panties. And Gabriella had absolutely no sex appeal whatsoever… what could Troy _ever _see in her? She just had a large brain and thought science and math were the most wonderful things on earth. It wasn't as though she had fantastic dancing talents to show off or any credibility at school. She had nothing on Jess… so why had she managed to bag Troy Bolton?

Jess just couldn't work it out. In the weeks that had led up to Christmas break last year; she had managed to bag Troy Bolton herself. After many failed flirting attempts and seducing methods, she had finally managed to get on a double-date with him, Chad and Lisa – another cheerleader that Chad had briefly dated. She had brushed aside any doubts that Troy wasn't interested in her – how could he _not_ be? – and latched onto him like a leech; following him everywhere he went and becoming frequently frustrated when he refused to kiss her in public. Figuring he was just shy, she had made it her mission to overcome his shyness for him; and she thought she was doing well. After getting him completely drunk at a house party with those infamous pink jellies, she had managed to get a full-blown make-out session out of him – and since he was the most _fantastic_ kisser, Jess had hoped they would go all the way. Sadly for her, that fantasy went out of the window as Troy threw up (nearly all over her _favourite_ dress too) and fell asleep on the couch.

The next day, he'd told her that they weren't working out; that he didn't want to be with her anymore and he refused to answer her calls. She hadn't agreed, so _technically_ they hadn't broken up. He'd then gone away on winter vacation – "playing basketball, snowboarding… more basketball" – and didn't answer any of her constant calls or texts.

Then, BAM! Winter vacation is over… it's the first day back at school and some freaky brainiac named Gabriella Montez starts at East High and suddenly Troy is glued to her and auditioning for stupid musicals with her. What was going on with the world?!

Ms. Darbus finally entered the classroom, armed with yet another William Shakespeare play and the infamous 'Shh!' hat that mainly lived on Zeke's head when he wouldn't stop talking. The teacher paused and cleared her throat, making Taylor leap off Chad's lap and dart for her own desk. When Troy and Gabriella didn't respond – not yet noticing the drama teacher's presence – Ms. Darbus placed her hands on her hips and screeched in her best screeching tone.

"Ms. Montez! The last time _I_ checked, Mr. Bolton was _not_ a chair!"

Gabriella nearly jumped six feet into the air upon hearing Darbus' voice and she leaped off Troy's lap. "Sorry, Ms. Darbus." She mumbled, gathering up her shoulder bag and scuttling quickly to her desk. Jess pulled a face at her as she watched her jog to her chair, a slight blush on her cheeks.

"You all know the rules about public displays of affection… it is completely uncalled for!" Ms. Darbus carried on, her gaze mainly on Troy who tried to look as innocently as possible as he swerved in his chair so he was facing forward. "You are not on stage now! You are in a place of learning! But while we are on the subject of the stage, please remember that the opportunity for you all to extend the wing-span of your creative spirit is fast approaching! Our new directors, Ryan Evans and Kelsi Neilson, have many supporting roles to fill and have requested that the theatre be open during free period for those of you who wish to bring out the true artist in themselves. We can all soar together in a shimmering ray of light…"

All but Sharpay Evans switched off as Darbus began yet another detailed speech about her beloved performing arts. Jess whipped out her compact mirror and make-up; checking her features for any imperfection. She found none, but applied more mascara and lip-gloss none-the-less; a plan formulating in her mind for the rest of homeroom until the bell sounded.

She waited behind as students stampeded out of the classroom and watched as Troy waited for Gabriella and took her hand as they exited the room. Walking slowly behind them, she followed as Troy walked his girlfriend to her locker and whispered something to her before kissing her gently. Jess smiled to herself as Troy left Gabriella by her locker and headed for his own; and as he left, Jess deliberately walked up behind her rival and gave her a sarcastic smile before making it plainly obvious that she was following Troy. Gabriella just sighed to herself and shook her head; continuing to search for her geography textbook.

Troy already had his locker door open and was going through his books when Jess coolly approached, leaning in a seductive manner against the locker beside his. Troy looked at her with a raised eyebrow; his face questioning what she wanted.

"So," Jess ran a finger down his arm. "How do you plead?"

"Huh?" Troy frowned, not looking at her. He was clearly more occupied with a textbook he had just pulled out which he had spent months trying to find.

"How do you plead?" The cheerleader repeated, flicking her hair back to reveal right side of her neck. She gritted her teeth as she spotted at least three pictures of Gabriella on the inside of his locker and blocked the images from her mind. When Troy looked back at her confused, she let out a small giggle and rolled her eyes jokingly. "Come on, Troy; you know what I mean!" she laughed a little too enthusiastically. "The talk going around school about you falling for that geek. How do you plead?"

"Sorry, Jess; you got me." A fake smile appeared on his face. "I'm completely guilty, one-hundred-and-fifty billion percent."

Folding her arms and sighing loudly, Jess leaned back against the locker firmly, letting him know she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. "Well you _could_ plead 'guilty by reason of insanity'. Then I'd be more inclined the believe you."

"What's not to believe?" Troy stuffed his textbooks into his bag. "She's my girlfriend. I love her. And I plan to for a _very_ long time. Believe me now?"

"But you didn't break up with me!" She squealed, her plan backfiring upon hearing the 'L' word coming from him.

Troy finally looked back up at her; both eyebrows raised high on his forehead. "Excuse me? We broke up _months_ ago."

"Nah uh." Jess shook her head, calming down slightly. "We didn't agree on anything. You were the one who bailed and I know it's because you're shy, Troy; and I _know _you really want to take a chance on us."

"A chance on _what_?"

"On us." Jess repeated, taking another step closer to him. "We had a good thing going on – we're the perfect couple, you and me. The _whole_ school thinks so and you know that we're both going to be crowned King and Queen at the prom next year. It's only right that the King and Queen are _together_."

"We were together less than a fortnight and I don't even like you in that way. I never did."

"So why did you make out with me?"

Troy shrugged in frustration. "I don't know! I was drunk on pink jellies!"

"But you enjoyed it."

"I don't even _remember_ it!"

"But you and me…" Jess was fumbling, becoming more and more desperate. This wasn't supposed to happen. "We are great together – you shouldn't be with some weird, freaky, science girl – you know I could show you a good time! We could start up our own thing again…" she took another step closer and showed her anger when Troy stepped away, holding his hands up in defence. "Just you and me."

"Woah, woah, _big_ time out on that one!" He stepped away again, slamming his locker door shut. "I already have an 'our thing' going on with Gabriella and I'm happy with that. Sorry, but there's _no way_ you and me are_ ever_ going to happen again. The first was a mistake. We've got _nothing_ in common and I'm happy with Gabi."

Jess almost pulled out her hair in annoyance, but she wasn't one to go out there without a backup plan up her sleeve. Before Troy could turn away from her, she latched onto his arm, pulling him back to her. "But you know she's cheating on you with Ryan Evans, right?" She almost screamed it and a few passing students heard her. "You know that the only reason they're both leads in the show is so they can have time alone together… so you won't find out about them!"

She saw her magic working in Troy's eyes as he visibly angered. "Shut up, Jess."

"Why? Can't you handle the truth? Everybody knows and they're saying she's crazy because who _wouldn't_ want you? Evans has _nothing_ on you, Baby, and she's making a mockery out of you." She slowly crept her arms up and around his neck. "Troy, ditch the little slut – you know I'd never treat you like that."

Troy pulled her arms away from his neck. "Just… leave me alone, okay?" His voice was hoarse and his eyes told her that her plan was working. It was working at a slow rate, but it was definitely working. "And leave Gabi alone. I'm with her and you and I aren't _ever_ going to happen."

Jess finally let him walk away, watching with a sly smile as she saw him run his fingers slowly through his hair and head towards the gym. She grinned widely.

"Perfect."


	22. Whipped

**TWENTY-TWO – Whipped**

"It's only two weeks until the next game…" Jack Bolton always felt the adrenaline run right through him when he was giving his motivational speech to the Wildcats basketball team. Walking up and down the long line of sweaty players, he could see the passion for the game in their eyes and he always felt a swell of pride when they shined through. And it was common knowledge to everyone that the majority of his pride fell onto his only son – the playmaker; the team leader… captain of the Wildcats varsity basketball team.

He always had high hopes for his son. Ever since the day he walked into the living room to find a four-year-old Troy attempting to pick up one of his old basketballs. It had all started from that moment… and soon Jack had found himself teaching a five-year-old Troy how to dribble – and not long after, his new playmate, Chad Danforth, had wanted to learn how to play. Looking at his son now, Jack smiled widely as Chad began to shout out the infamous Wildcat team spirit chant and Troy giving his verdict on the overall performance of the practise. Being captain, Jack felt that Troy should have more responsibility when preparing his team – that, and the extra practise, of course.

Giving Troy the extra practise had never been a problem throughout the years. It wasn't until Gabriella had started at East High that Jack had become worried that Troy's priorities were elsewhere. At first, he had not been too impressed with the pretty straight-A student, who on her first day had landed Troy in detention. He hadn't been at all happy when Troy had stopped showing up for practises when a Championship game was on the horizon… and he hadn't been totally over the moon when Troy had announced that he and Gabriella were dating. But, looking back over the past few months, Jack had to admit that Gabriella was a good influence on his son; and his grades were improving too.

"We free to go, Coach?" Zeke stepped forward, wiping his sweaty forehead with the back of his hand.

"What's the rush?" Jack grinned, taking the basketball from Chad's grasp and spinning it on his finger. "We just had a great practise – it's Friday afternoon and the sun's out… You guys need to get your butts to the outside court; we'll get a game going!"

"Actually, Dad, it's the ball tonight and we need to bail." Troy did look slightly disappointed that there wasn't enough time for a full blown-out friendly match. "Rain check?"

Jack rolled his eyes and smiled. "You guys are bailing on the game to hang around at some cheesy school dance?"

"I got a hot date." Jason raised his hand.

"And I've got a Taylor." Chad added and shuddered slightly. "If Troy and I are late picking up the girls, I can safely assure you that we'll be too badly injured to play against West High."

Jack laughed as a few of the players started jogging towards the locker rooms to shower. "Are you guys getting completely whipped, or what?"

Troy raised an eyebrow. "Says you. Mom's got you wrapped around her little finger."

"Hey." Jack teasingly pointed a finger to Troy, Jason, Zeke and Chad; humour bouncing in his eyes as they sniggered at him. "We're married. Completely different. But you guys… you're supposed to be out there, having fun, enjoying your youths… Instead you're completely whipped and seeing stars. Especially you." Jack pointed to his son, who rolled his eyes in response.

"Troy enjoys being whipped." Chad put his arm around his friend's shoulder. "In more ways than one!"

As Jason and Zeke burst out in laughter and Jack gave an uncomfortable snigger, Troy darted his gaze at Chad, who was looking innocent enough. "Dude. Not cool."

"And I thought it was." Chad laughed and slapped Jack's back as they all headed to the locker rooms which were now clouded by steam from the hot showers. Checking his watch quickly, Chad raised his eyebrows. "Okay, school has officially ended." As he spoke, the final bell sounded; certainly confirming his statement. "And Tay and Gabs will be waiting for us at the entrance." His eyes rose to Troy's. "Come on, man; hurry up!"

"And you say _I'm_ whipped." Troy sighed as Chad grabbed his towel and ran in the direction of the showers.

Jack just rolled his eyes. "Are you coming straight home?"

"Chad and I have just got to drop Taylor and Gabi off at their houses and then we'll be home." He looked at his watch. "We've only got a couple of hours before we have to be ready so if you feel like sticking some ribs on the grill…"

"Troy, you're seventeen. You should be cooking your _own_ meals." Jack smiled.

"Uh huh. Right on that one." Zeke agreed hastily. Jack let out a small laugh and gave Troy a look that told him that ribs would definitely be on the menu that evening before he disappeared around the corner towards his office. "Man!" Zeke opened up his locker and pulled out some clean clothes. "This dance is going to be great!"

"In what sense?" Troy raised an eyebrow, not seeing the appealing side of a school dance. Of course, they'd all attended ones in the past; and each and every one of them had been completely boring until they finally ended in a drunken fight. Troy hadn't spent a lot of time at dances, instead choosing to go to Chad's house with his close friends for their own party. "It's just going to be another cheese-packed affair with horrible dance music and sparkly, pink decorations supplied by our very own Sharpay."

"Exactly!" Zeke's eyes widened with the excitement. "Sharpay will be there. And she will have decorated the entire cafeteria! I'm telling you, if I spend the night complimenting her and her acting and decorating skills, she'll completely fall for me."

"I thought you'd chosen to seduce her with crème-brulee?" Troy smirked at his friend, who, true to his Dad's words, had stars shining in his eyes at the mere mention of Sharpay's name.

"Bolton! Come on!" Chad's impatient voice sounded through the locker room from the showers.

Troy's brows knitted together and he pointed his thumb over his shoulder. "Should I be worried that Chad's literally _begging_ me to join him in the shower?"

"Extremely." Zeke pulled a face and dropped the towel he'd been holding in his hand. "And to be on the safe side, I'll wait until he's fully dressed before I go in."

"Smart plan, Dude." Troy sat himself down on the bench beside his own locker and pulled his cellphone from his gym bag. Opening it up and laughing softly to himself at the main screen picture – which was of Gabriella poking her tongue out at him cheekily – he scrolled towards his messages and began to text his girlfriend.

Chad made his way into the cubicle, a towel wrapped around his waist and his once bushy hair was flat against his head. As Troy, Zeke and Jason laughed at the sight before them, Chad raised an eyebrow and proceeded in shaking his head like a dog; large drops of water spraying into his friend's faces.

"Hey! Cut it out!" Troy held up his hands to shield himself from the water drops.

"How about you hurry your ass up?" Chad shot back, smiling in victory as he took in the sight of drenched team mates in front of him. "The girls will be waiting."

"I've messaged Gabi and told her we're just getting ready."

"Yeah, and since he's finally got his ass out of the shower, I'll safely go in." Zeke picked up his towel again and headed towards the shower cubicles.

"Meaning?" Chad placed his hands on his hips as he watched Zeke trot out at a quick pace.

"Meaning we're worried for Taylor." Troy sniggered as Chad stood before him with folded arms. "And ourselves. I know you want me to hurry up, man, but the way you were calling me to the showers was a little _too_ demanding."

Chad opened his mouth to protest, but found nothing wanted to come out. He didn't look amused as Troy and Jason laughed at his expense; his mind more focused on Taylor going berserk at him when they would _finally _leave school. They'd been looking forward to the dance all week, so being even a minute late for it was not even an option. Chad thought different; going to a cheesy school dance with Darbus supervising the event was not his idea of a great Friday night.

But he got his revenge only seconds later when Troy's cellphone starting blasting out the same ringtone he'd had for years. Troy's expression quickly changed from sheer laughter to serious as he saw Chad dive across the room and reach for the phone. He barely had a chance to reach for it himself as Chad leapt towards it and successfully grasped it in his hand.

"Ah, what have we here?" Chad straightened himself up and grinned as Troy reached out his hand in a gesture for him to return his property. Chad ignored his glance and looked at the screen. "Ah, it's Miss Gabriella. Should I answer it?"

"Hand it over, Danforth."

Instead of doing what was requested, Chad flipped open the phone and put it against his ear.

"_Finally! Did you lose it again?" _Gabriella's mocking tone came out. Chad winked at a very annoyed Troy and stepped back as Troy tried to take the phone back from him.

Chad cleared his throat. "Ahem…No, actually I was too busy being fantastic at basketball and watching hundreds of girls fall at my feet - which is weird, because Chad is so much better looking…"

"_Hi, Chad." _Gabriella chuckled. _"Why do you sound like Barry White?"_

Chad cleared his throat again, thinking that his deeper voice had been a good impression of Troy. Obviously his girlfriend didn't think so. Troy was becoming visibly more annoyed as Chad ducked away from him and trotted around the small locker cubicle to create some distance between them.

"Er…no…_not_ Chad." He started again, muffling a laugh as Troy mouthed threats to him from across the room. "It's Troy, honest. And I've got… a bad cough…" Chad coughed for effect.

"_Okay, Chad." _Gabriella laughed. _"Can I speak to him now? Kinda need to…"_

"Speak away, Baby." Chad wiggled his eyebrows at Troy, who huffed and threw his arms up carelessly in the air, almost looking ready to throw some punches. "Sorry… _Gabi_…"

"_He'll kill you soon if you're not careful. And I seriously doubt Taylor will go to the dance with a corpse."_

"It's not Chad, _honestly! _I'm Troy. I'm your loving boyfriend and I _looooooooooveeeee yoooouuuuu…_" His sudden high pitched girly tone did nothing to convince a now hysterical Gabriella. As Chad began to make kissing noises down the phone, Troy sprung for him, almost knocking the phone to the floor. Chad did his best to dodge whilst laughing, making kissing noises and jogging away all at the same time.

"_Chad, I can actually hear Troy thinking of ways to kill you!" _Gabriella laughed harder and sounded like she was trying to compose herself. _"Now, please give him the phone back or I'll-"_

SMACK! Too late. Troy's hand came into swift contact with Chad's; the phone flying to the ground. Chad and Jason burst out laughing as Troy quickly retrieved the phone and swore at them as he lifted it to his ear. "Gabi? Sorry about that. Somebody unplugged Chad's brain again."

Gabriella's soft laughing caused him to smile in spite of it all, and suddenly Troy was ignoring Jason and Chad's incessant giggling. _"Ah, that's what happened is it, Wildcat? I hope you've plugged it back in."_

"No." Troy rubbed the back of his neck and rolled his eyes as Zeke re-entered the cubicle and was greeted by Jason and Chad who had started to tell him about what had happened in his absence. "It'll only unplug itself again. Anyway, we won't be long, I swear. I'll just have a quick shower and we'll be straight out. Is Taylor having a fit?"

"_No, actually I was calling to tell you there's no need to rush. Ryan's Dad has bought him a car and it looks swarve! He met me and Taylor at the entrance and offered us a ride home."_

"A ride home? With Ryan?"

"_Yeah; he said he'd take me and Taylor back to my house so we can get ready for the dance. Are you and Chad still picking us up at seven?"_

Troy let out a loud sigh. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather have Ryan take you?"

A pause on the other end of the line. _"What do you mean?"_

"Nothing." Troy closed his eyes and inwardly cursed himself for saying that. From across the room, he didn't notice Chad stop his laughing and look at him seriously.

"_Good. I hope you meant nothing by it…" _He could sense Gabriella's annoyance and he didn't blame her. But it wasn't as if he _wanted_ to say that out loud. It just kinda… slipped out. _"Anyhow, back to my first question: are you and Chad coming to mine at seven?"_

"On the dot."

"_Don't be late…" _She teased him. _"And don't think about standing me up either. I'll have you on 'Jerry Springer' in a heartbeat _and_ I'll beat the hell out of you!"_

Troy let out a small laugh, not being able to help himself as he pictured the scene. "Well since you've threatened me with Springer, I guess I've got no choice but to pick you up."

"_Exactly."_

"Hey, Gabi?"

"_Yup?"_

"Love you." He said it quietly, though he knew his friends could still hear him and he ignored Jason and Zeke's sniggers.

"_I love you too. I'll see you later on, okay?"_

Troy nodded, though he knew she couldn't see him and eventually responded with words. As he hung up the phone, Jason made a comment about him being whipped and Zeke chuckled as he reached for his clothes. Picking up his own towel and heading out towards the showers, he felt Chad put a hand on his shoulder.

"Okay, now you're _really_ scaring me, Danforth. Now you're _following_ me to the showers?"

Chad ignored Troy's comment and looked straight at him. "What was that about?"

"Hmm? Oh, Tay and Gabi are getting a ride home with Ryan. We don't have to rush now."

Chad shook his head. "No, not that. I gathered what was going on by what you were saying. I meant how you reacted when she told you."

Troy tried to look confused, but knew he was transparent to his best friend. "And… how did I react?"

Chad never took his eyes away from his. "Like you wanted to punch the locker in temper. Like you wanted to scream and shout and rant and run over to your girl and take her away before she could get into Evans' car."

"Don't know what you're talking about."

"Like hell you don't." Chad responded as Troy attempted to turn away. His words alone stopped him from doing so. "A bit of advice – and can I just add that at this moment in time, my brain _is_ plugged in – you need to start thinking very carefully before you start having confrontations with yourself."

"Think about what?"

Chad just shrugged, pretending he hadn't taken full notice of his friend's expressions throughout the phone conversation. "Stop beating yourself up over nothing. It's as simple as that."

And with that last comment, Chad turned and made his way back into the locker cubicle, leaving a very stunned Troy behind.


	23. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo

**A/N: Hey guys; 'tis me again! Just to let you know, I wrote this whilst watching 'Titanic' so I'm kinda in a soppy mood so you'll be pleased to know that there will be a lot of Troyella fluff fast approaching in the next few chapters…**

**Just to answer a few of your questions:**

**- No, I don't know how long this story will be… I just know it will be long. ******** I've had writers block for about four years now and I've only managed to write two Spider-Man one-shot's in that time ******** The last long story I wrote was four years ago and it was an Elijah Wood fic… So being able to overcome – finally – that dreadful writer's block and get back into writing long fics is fantastic and I thank you all for your comments and motivation xx So, with writers block long forgotten, I plan to make this story as long as possible without it dragging and being boring. **

**- Secondly, I don't know how I manage to update so quick… I get motivation and ideas and I jot it down! Like I said above, finally getting over writers block is amazing, so I'm taking advantage of that!**

**- Thirdly, I love you lot begging for more Troyella fluff! But I have to put other characters in too, ya know! lol Otherwise it'll become nauseating! But don't worry, there's a lot more to come!**

**- Fourthly – is that a word? – Yes, I would love to read your stories… but as time is precious at this moment in time what with me working and university work… it'll be easier for you to add me to MSN so we can discuss them online where I'm happy to pass on advice. Anyone can add me – even if you just want a chat with an English girl who doesn't know how to shut up! ******

**Enjoy the chapter, Peeps! Much love and boomshakalaka! Holly xx**

**P.S. Caroline… this one's for you! I love our random and funny conversations! And picture sharing! Enjoy! xx**

**TWENTY-TWO – Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo**

Gabriella gave off a long shaky sigh as she stared at herself in her dresser mirror. Taylor stood confidently behind her, hair straighteners in her hand and a bemused look on her face. Upon seeing her expression in the reflection, Gabriella gave her a small shrug and a sheepish grin; not entirely confident that Taylor's idea was going to work out the way she wanted.

"Trust me, Gabs." Taylor sighed, picking up a brush and raking it through Gabriella's curls. "I know what I'm doing."

"Tay, I've _never_ had straight hair… I'll look weird."

Taylor just sighed loudly and reached for the heat protection spray which she rained on Gabriella's hair. "No, you won't. I've pictured all this is my head – you'll look great! Troy will practically faint with shock."

"A good kind of shock, I hope." Gabriella bit her lip as Taylor took a curl and placed the hot straighteners over it, gently guiding them down the length of her hair. Though Gabriella could not see the back of her head, she did relax slightly when Taylor smiled triumphantly to herself. "Do you think Troy will like it?"

Taylor let out a chuckle. "Gabs, will you just trust me please? It's not too much to ask is it?"

"Depends on what the nature of topic is."

Taylor let out a sarcastic laugh as she continued to straighten Gabriella's curls. "Stop complaining, girl, and let me get this done. We haven't got long until the guys get here and if we're not ready they'll start groaning again."

Gabriella laughed softly, knowing how much Troy hated it when he had to wait for her to get ready. Both girls were actually doing pretty well for time; both had their dresses on and Taylor had finished her hair and make-up. Gabriella had just finished applying her own make-up when Taylor had suggested an idea for her hairstyle and without even waiting for an answer; she had plugged in the straighteners and pushed Gabriella onto her chair in front of her dresser. Gabriella hadn't really been too bothered about the state of her hair – since the dance was an informal affair and purely there for school friends to get together, she had wanted to leave her hair down. But there was no stopping Taylor McKessie when she was on a mission – and tonight, it seemed Gabriella's hair was her mission.

For an informal affair, both girls had put in a lot of effect on their dresses. Taylor had chosen a red halter-neck dress that came just below her knees. Gabriella's was a plain white dress, coming just above her knees with thin spaghetti straps. Both girls had decided that matching shoes were necessary to complete their outfits, though their mother's had not been too thrilled when they saw the bills.

Taylor began to hum to herself as the last curl was straightened out, but before Gabriella could get a proper look at her new hairstyle, her best friend pushed her back into her seat and ran the straighteners through her hair again; flicking the hair at the bottom to give it more style.

Gabriella huffed. "Are you done yet?"

"Gabriella Montez, I've never known anybody moan as much as you! It's looking fantastic and if you don't believe me wait until your Mom gets home and she'll agree with me."

Gabriella shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "Well, we'll be waiting a while. She's not home until Sunday."

"Business trip?"

"New York." Gabriella let out another sigh, hating it everytime her mother had to go away. But as Maria Montez has pointed out to her many times, if she didn't go away to attend conferences every few weekends, they would be relocated again. And that was something Gabriella didn't want to happen; Albuquerque had become the first real home she'd known and if staying there meant her mother had to travel every once and a while, it was just a sacrifice they'd have to make.

Briefly casting her mind away and wondering if her mother had a safe journey; Gabriella didn't notice Taylor's sudden change of expression. It wasn't until she placed the straighteners back on the desk and stared at Gabriella's reflection with an amused smile did the brunette finally look at her with a frown. "What?"

Taylor unfolded her arms and placed her hands on her hips. "What do you mean 'what'? Tonight could be the night."

"Night for… what?"

"Uh…duh!" Taylor spun round on her heel and sat herself down on Gabriella's bed, careful not to crease her dress. "You and Troy! You've been waiting for this to happen for like… _forever_! And now you've both finally got the 'I love you' part out of the way, there's nothing holding you back."

Gabriella turned herself around on her chair so she could face her friend; an uncomfortable look on her face. "I don't think it's gonna happen tonight, Tay. When my Mom caught us, she was shocked to say the least. The only thing that made her feel better was when I promised to go to the doctor's and get on the contraceptive pill before Troy and I take that step. My appointment is next week."

"So?"

"So… I promised my Mom, Tay. And Troy's fine with it – we've already talked about it."

Taylor lifted her arms up and let them drop down again in frustration. "Gabs! You've been waiting for this for ages… Your Mom's away; how's she going to find out?"

Gabriella shifted on her seat, casting her eyes briefly to the ground. "If she comes back and I have a baby bump, perhaps?"

Rolling her eyes dramatically, Taylor laughed off her friend's comment. "Look, I know you and your Mom are close, and I know you don't like breaking promises to _anyone_ but you've got to look at the bigger picture here. Tell me, if you guys don't do it tonight, _when _are you going to get the chance to? You've got the house to yourselves for _two_ nights… no interruptions. If you don't take advantage of tonight, you'll regret it."

Gabriella looked back at Taylor, knowing there was some truth in what she was saying. As much as Gabriella loved spending time with her friends, she also craved more time alone with her boyfriend – and since sex wasn't a spectators sport (well, to the majority of the population, anyway) – she needed to know that they were going to have nights for themselves. She knew her mother would consent as soon as she was on the pill, but that didn't mean she wouldn't still be uncomfortable with it. And she certainly wouldn't approve of any activities happening in her house when she was in it! And since Maria mainly worked from home, there were barely any free moments when she was out of the house.

Troy's house was a separate issue – and though Gabriella had no idea of the Bolton's opinions on the matter, she didn't want to speculate what would happen if they were caught. She'd made such a close bond with Lucille; she didn't want to break it by making her think that she was corrupting her only son.

Taylor could see Gabriella contemplating it with herself, and she smiled in triumph; pleased that her meddling skills were beginning to pay off. "Have you made your decision?" Her question brought a blushing Gabriella out of her trance.

"Maybe…" she drifted off. "I don't know, Tay. I'm new at all of this. Sure, I've had boyfriends before but I've never been serious about anyone like I am about Troy. And I want it to happen. Soon. But, I'm…" Again, she drifted off, casting her eyes to Taylor's. "I'm nervous, I guess."

"Oh, come on, Honey, _every_ girl is nervous about their first time." Taylor patted the bed beside her, coaxing her friend to join her. "It's just part of life, isn't it? I was nervous, no doubt about it; but once we were alone together, everything just seemed right."

Gabriella sat down on her bed, crossing her legs and nervously twiddling her fingers in her lap. She avoided Taylor's gaze, embarrassed yet curious about the affair. She felt she needed to get her insecurities out of the way before she could actually do it. "But…how do you even _start_? I mean…" she paused, trying to find the right words.

As she struggled for words, Taylor cut in, knowing her friend's meaning. "I don't know… you just _do_. Me and Chad had talked about it and when we decided we were both ready we put a date to it."

"But Troy won't see it coming tonight. He's knows my appointment is next week…"

"Okay." Taylor made herself more comfortable on the bed, preparing herself for a fantastic speech. "There are options to choose from."

"Oh, good…"

"Get him all hot and bothered… Chad says he likes nothing more than a long, hot, sexy, passionate kiss to get him all riled up…" Taylor put on her best proud smile for effect. Gabriella just let out a small laugh.

"If my tongue gets any further down Troy's throat, he'll be digesting it."

Taylor blinked and cleared her throat. "Okay…so there are _other_ ways to go about it…"

"I know, Tay. I've _done_ other ways. I just want to know how I can move it up a notch. Like I said… Troy's not going to be expecting it…"

Taylor looked deep in thought. Finally she pointed her index finger into the air and Gabriella could just about see the light bulb going off in her head. "Leap on him. Rip his clothes off… that's got to be a pretty fair hint that you want it…"

"Tay, we're not in a porn film."

Taylor let out a loud sigh. "There is no pleasing you, Montez. Your only other option is to rape him."

Gabriella's mouth hung open, not quite believing what Taylor had just come out with. It wasn't until she saw her friend laughing hysterically that she relaxed, knowing she was only joking. "Very funny." She scoffed, rolling her eyes as Taylor's laugh became louder.

As her laughter finally subsided, Taylor put a serious look on her face. "Now seriously; the best thing you can do is just let it happen naturally. You'll know what to do when you get there."

Gabriella just gave a small shrug of embarrassment and looked back at her twiddling fingers. "I guess so… But Tay, I've heard about other people's firsts… does it hurt-"

The sound of the front door opening and closing again made the two girls jump slightly. It wasn't until they heard Troy and Chad arguing downstairs that they relaxed again. Taylor gave Gabriella an excited grin, holding her hand out for her friend to take. "You wait a second. I want to see Troy's face when he sees you."

Gabriella watched as Taylor jumped off the bed and headed out of the bedroom door. She stood up and slowly followed her friend, watching from the bedroom door as Taylor leant over the railing, looking down on the two smartly dressed boys who were waiting in the hallway.

"Oi, Cinders; are you ready yet?" Chad called up to his girlfriend.

Taylor pulled a face to her boyfriend whilst Troy muffled a laugh at her response. "Chad, I highly doubt Prince Charming called Cinderella 'Cinders'."

Chad shrugged his shoulders; looking quite handsome in black trousers and a light blue shirt. Troy was not dressed as formal; choosing dark-coloured jeans and a black shirt. "I think Cinders is a great nickname for her. I prefer the ugly stepsisters, though. They were great."

"Chad, we're getting a _little_ off topic here." Troy raised his eyebrows and looked up at Taylor. "Please tell me she's ready, Tay. If not, I'll go and hide."

Taylor laughed and turned to look at Gabriella, who was leaning against her bedroom door, quite amused at the conversations that were taking place. "She's ready, Troy." Gabriella heard Troy's loud sigh of relief. As Taylor started heading down the stairs, Gabriella followed and loved the look on Troy's face when he finally saw her.

"Woah." He said, staring at her face. As she approached him, he reached out and ran his fingers gently through her straight hair.

"Don't mess up!" Taylor called jokingly from Chad's arms. "I literally had to hold her down kicking and screaming to get it done right!"

Troy raised an eyebrow and Gabriella chuckled. "Does it look weird?"

"No." He breathed, kissing the tip of her nose softly. "You look gorgeous."

Gabriella gave him a seductive smile, suddenly taking in how handsome he looked in black. She saw that twinkle in his eyes and knew he wanted to kiss her – which would have been perfect if not for Chad and Taylor staring at them.

"Are you guys coming, already?" Chad groaned, wrapping his arm around Taylor. Troy and Gabriella separated only slightly, their arms still lingering around each other.

"Sorry, Chad." Gabriella rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"You should be. Troy and I have worked loads to make this night perfect for you two Cinderella's here."

Troy laughed and Gabriella and Taylor raised an eyebrow. "Like what? Explain."

"Well," Chad grinned. "First we hired this old lady to help us who actually turned out to be a Fairy Godmother of all things. Then she taught us this weird spell… how did it go, Troy?"

"Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo." Troy answered, causing the two girls to laugh.

"Yeah, that was it!" Chad continued his story. "And then we were able to turn four mice into beautiful white horses and a pumpkin into a glimmering, shining carriage! We've also got two pairs of glass shoes for you outside… Only downside to this is, we have to be back for midnight."

"And not lose a shoe…" Troy added.

Taylor and Gabriella burst out laughing, latching onto their boyfriend's for dear life; wondering how long it took between them to come up with that little tale. "It does take a lot of imagination to turn Troy's truck into a glimmering carriage." Taylor laugh and Troy shot her a look of disgust.

Hand-in-hand, the two couples headed out of the front door and into the clear, cool night. Once climbing into Troy's 'carriage', they headed towards the palace of East High school and to the ball that awaited them.


	24. Rule The World

**A/N: Short disclaimer… I do not own 'Rule The World', sung by Take That. If we lived in a perfect world, I'd be writing this, earning tonnes of money, Zac Efron sitting comfortably on my lap and Take That saying "go on, Holly; use our song in your story and we'll give you 50 of the profits!". **

**This is not a perfect world. I'm writing this, getting no money, my lap is Zac Efron-less and Take That don't even know my name! Grr! **

**If you haven't heard this song, I highly recommend it – it's such a Troyella song! And it's now officially the soundtrack for this fiction… so listen to it! **

**Boomshakalaka! Holly xxx**

**TWENTY-FOUR – Rule The World**

_You light the skies, up above me  
A sta__r so bright, you blind me  
Don't close your eyes  
Don't fade away, don't fade away-_

Yeah, you and me; we can ride on a star  
If you stay with me girl  
We can rule the world-  
Yeah, you and me; we can light up the sky  
If you stay by my side  
We can rule the world-

If walls break down, I will comfort you   
If angels cry, oh I'll be there for you  
You've saved my soul  
Don't leave me now, don't leave me now

Yeah, you and me; we can ride on a star  
If you stay with me girl  
We can rule the world  
Yeah, you and me; we can light up the sky  
If you stay by my side  
We can rule the world-

All the stars are coming out tonight  
They're lighting up the sky tonight  
For you, for you  
All the stars are coming out tonight  
They're lighting up the sky tonight  
For you, for you-

Gabriella absolutely adored that song. As it played through the crowded – and highly decorated in pink tissue paper – cafeteria; she tightened her arms around Troy's neck as they gently swayed to the music. The only thing that would have made the whole situation better would be for Troy to sing along with it in tune rather than destroying the song by deliberately hitting all the wrong notes.

"Troy." She sighed with an amused grin as he continued to sing out of tune.

"Yeah, you and me; we can ride on a star…" he closed his eyes for effect.

"Troy…" her tone increased in volume.

"…We can rule the WORLD!"

"Troy!"

"For you…for yoooouuuuu…" His high-pitched singing caused her to scrunch her eyes shut. Even Chad and Taylor had stopped dancing behind them to listen in as Gabriella was slowly losing her cool with him. It annoyed her to high heaven when he would deliberately sing along to her favourite songs out of tune – even more so when he went as high as humanly possible; his tone just about reaching the same level as Ms. Darbus. Embarrassed at the amount of faces watching them, Gabriella tried to pull out of his grasp, but he just held onto her tighter, pulling her as close to his body as possible. She pushed against his shoulders but he wouldn't let up; trying his hardest to keep in a laugh at her beetroot face.

"Troy…quit it!" She hissed, lightly hitting his chest.

As the song came to an end and a more upbeat one started, Troy opened his eyes again and chuckled at her face. "What?" He grinned.

"You!" Gabriella exclaimed. "Not only did you just destroy one of the best songs ever; but you also embarrassed me in the process!"

"What?" Troy tried to look as innocent as possible. "I was only serenading you."

"Serenading me?!" Gabriella called out in astonishment. "You and I both know that you were singing like that to annoy me! And it worked!" She finally managed to push his arms away from her waist. "Dance with Chad. I'm going over there!" She pointed to a random part of the cafeteria, but before she could walk away, Troy grabbed a hold of her hand and pulled her back, a chuckle emitting from his lips.

"You're so cute when you're mad!"

"You're doing this to make me mad?!"

Troy just laughed as she glared at him angrily and tried to remove her fingers from his. As she managed it, he wound his arms around her waist and pulled her close again, ignoring her protests and moans that she wanted to leave the dance floor. Her words were muffled, however, when he leaned forward and pushed his lips to hers, swallowing her groans and holding her tighter against him.

He smiled against her mouth as he felt her melt into him, and her arms found themselves tight around his neck. Gabriella let out a soft moan against his mouth as he finally allowed her tongue to enter and caress his own. From around them, they could hear their friends groaning in mock protest, but it did nothing to break them apart.

When the need for air became desperate, the two finally parted and with a large smile, Troy scooped his girlfriend up in his arms and spun her around. Gabriella laughed in delight as he finally stopped spinning and placed a quick kiss on her lips.

"See? You can't stay mad at me."

"I can. I just can't be bothered to be mad at you right this second."

"Oi, Fred and Ginger!" Chad and Taylor pushed their way through the crowds towards the kissing couple. Upon hearing their call, Troy gently placed Gabriella back on the ground.

"What do you want, Laurel and Hardy?" Troy shot back, causing Gabriella to chuckle. Chad and Taylor shot Troy a look that told him they weren't amused at his comment, but brushed it off quickly.

"Everybody else has turned up… and you have _got_ to see this hot girl Jason bought – Ow!" Chad rubbed his side where Taylor had stuck her elbow in at his comment. "I meant… this…girl who is not-as-hot-as-my-girlfriend." Gabriella raised an eyebrow. "And not-as-hot-as-yours either." His addition earned him two 'that's better' smiles from the girls and an amused one from Troy.

"This I have _got_ to see." Troy quickly scanned the room for his friends. "Where are they?"

Chad pointed to the opposite side of the room and with his hand latched to Taylor's, he led them off the dance floor and towards their group of friends who were huddled close together and laughing. As they walked through the cafeteria, they could totally tell that it was all Sharpay's doing. Everything was pink, sparkly and way too overdone. The ceiling was practically covered in pink tissue paper and the floor covered in pink and purple balloons which weren't lasting long due to immature senior boys who thought it would be funny to pop them just behind Ms. Darbus and play with the helium.

As they approached, Kelsi was the first to spot them and she hollered her greetings over the loud music. Jason, Zeke, Martha and Ryan all stopped their conversations; greeting their four other friends as they finally became a part of the small circle.

"So?" Troy asked Jason, who looked very proud with himself.

"She's in the bathroom." He answered, earning a nudge from a chuckling Zeke who gave Troy and Chad a look of disbelief.

"And?" Chad pressed, folding his arms across his chest.

"She's blonde. Built. Hot. A dancer…" Jason grinned.

"A dancer?!" Chad exclaimed, glaring at his friend in disbelief.

"I know." Zeke scoffed. "I didn't believe it either when he told me… But she is! You only have to look at her legs and you can totally tell!"

"Don't even think about it!" Taylor elbowed her boyfriend again, causing him to wail in pain.

"Ow! What is it about hitting me that thrills you so much, woman?!" Chad called out, rubbing his side at a great rate of knots.

Taylor just smirked her triumph, causing a few of them to laugh. Watching Chad and Taylor together was like watching a constant comedy duo at work and they never failed to make their friends laugh hysterically. Chad turned to Troy, who had his arms wrapped around Gabriella's waist from behind. His face was buried in Gabriella's hair, his laughs muffled in her neck; so any sympathy Chad needed from his friend, it was clear he wasn't going to get.

"What's her name, Jason?" Gabriella turned their attention away from Chad, fearing for his safety more than anything.

"Elle."

"As in McPherson? Oh please, say McPherson!" It was Troy's turn to get an elbow in the ribs and groaned in pain as Gabriella inflicted her pain of warning.

"No." Jason laughed. "As in… um… yeah, so anyway… did I mention she's a dancer?"

Zeke chuckled, placing his hand over his face as he laughed. "You don't even know her name? My god, man, where _did_ you find her?"

"Good question." Martha put in, a snigger escaping her lips.

"My Dad knows her Dad… they set us up." Jason answered, his blank features not exactly comprehending why his friends were joking about the situation. He was just glad that he had been able to walk into a school dance with a beautiful blonde on his arm.

"And did she look disappointed when she saw you?" Zeke laughed and Kelsi pushed him slightly.

"That's mean," she defended a still clueless Jason. "I don't see you with a date here."

"Well that's because the Ice Queen is waiting to fall madly in love with me." He replied, confidently; which earned him some eye rolling from his friends. "I did all the baking for this little get together, here. Darbus is currently enjoying my crème-brulee and as soon as Sharpay tastes it, she'll be eating out of my hand."

"I wouldn't get your hopes up too much…" Ryan pulled an uncomfortable look. He cast his eyes to the other side of the room where Sharpay was standing beside Ms. Darbus, not really taking in the events. Ryan felt sorry for his twin sister, but despite countless hours of him trying unsuccessfully to convince her to join in with the Wildcats, she still refused point blank. He didn't understand her reasons why, citing that she was trying to prove a point and keep to the opinions she'd harboured over the summer period. Jealousy over Gabriella and hatred for the jocks was keeping her back from being with real friends, and Ryan felt he could do no more to help her. If she wanted to live that way, then so be it.

The intriguing and mysterious Elle finally emerged from the bathroom and timidly walked back to the group. Jason smiled proudly and Troy and Chad exchanged raised eyebrows – both asking the same question; _how_ did he managed to bag her? Jason placed his arm around her neck, pulling her in close before introducing her to his friends – every person standing in that circle politely quitting with the jokes and putting friendly smiles on their faces. After many questions, they found her surname to be Phillips… unfortunately, not McPherson.

After a few moments of mindless chatter, Taylor grasped a hold of Gabriella and eased her out of Troy's arms, pulling her towards the drinks and snacks. "Here." She whispered, opening her purse and rooting around the contents. "I forgot to give you these." She pulled out three condom wrappers and shoved them into Gabriella's hands.

"Huh?"

"Condoms, Gabs." Taylor rolled her eyes and gestured for her to quickly and discreetly put them in her own purse. "They may come in useful this evening."

Gabriella looked back at Troy briefly, making sure he wasn't looking as she turned her back to him and placed them in her purse. "But I never said tonight was the night!"

Placing a hand on her hip, Taylor raised her eyebrows and grinned. "Like hell it's not!" she laughed. "You've been looking at him all goggle-eyed since he picked us up earlier. Even more so than usual! You know you want him."

"Taylor, please keep your voice to a minimum!" Gabriella hissed, again making sure Troy wasn't looking. Thankfully he was too busy messing up Chad's hair and laughing along with his friends. "I don't want the entire school knowing!"

"So, you admit you want him…"

"Taylor…" Gabriella blushed a deep crimson.

Taylor let out a delightful laugh, clapping her hands together in excitement. "This is sooo great! And so sweet! Troy will be completely surprised and he'll love it! Do you know how you're going to go about it yet?"

Looking to the floor, Gabriella shrugged slowly. "Just… do it naturally, I guess."

"Ah ha!" Taylor exclaimed. "So you _are_ going to make your move tonight! You're so easy to break, Gabs, but thanks for the info!" Gabriella was not amused, feeling the blush rise further up her cheeks.

"You suck, Tay." The two girls laughed in spite of it all and continued to do so until Gabriella felt someone push hard against her, causing her to nearly fall over. Taylor took a hold of her arms, keeping her standing as the offending person stopped and looked at the both with a satisfied smile.

"Oops, sorry!" Jess faked a smile. "I didn't see you there, nerd." Her posse of three giggled hysterically as they all walked away, pleased with their result.

"Bitch." Taylor hissed at Jess's retreating back. "You okay?" She looked at her friend who was running her fingers through her hair, tidying it up again. Gabriella nodded slowly, feeling intimidated and embarrassed.


	25. in a sea of glitter

**A/N: Okay, I've slaved and I've slaved… No, really. I've spent the last god knows how many hours writing this chapter… and it's drama-filled to the brink! **

**I'm feeling mighty generous today, so I thought I'd post two chapters for you xx**

**Enjoy the drama, people! You've been very patient waiting for some…**

**Mwah! Holly xx**

**TWENTY-FIVE - …in a sea of glitter...**

Sharpay Evans was completely in her element.

A school dance. Cheesy music galore. Her opportunity to show off her other artistic skills by being in charge of the committee – her ideas and suggestions for decorations _only_. And _only_ the colours pink, purple and white could be used. And glitter. Plenty of sparkle.

And the cafeteria was looking _exactly_ how she'd planned. The dance committee were not too fond of it; claiming that it was just _too_ overstated and that the amount of glitter was blinding. Sharpay had just ignored them, as she always did. After all, nobody else's opinions mattered but her own. And Ms. Darbus certainly had had no complaints about the decorations. Once again, Sharpay Evans had gotten her own way.

And yet, she wasn't enjoying it.

She let out a sigh and flicked her long blonde hair over her shoulder as she leaned against the wall. Ms. Darbus stood up straight behind her with narrowed eyes, ready to pounce on any student who dared to misbehave during her chaperoning hour. She'd already clocked three members of the football team for popping balloons behind her and making her jump… and after handing them detention slips (even though their 'crimes' were committed outside of school hours), she'd decided that it would be safer to keep her back to the wall.

Sharpay saw her twin brother and one-time associate, Ryan, enter the cafeteria; closely followed by those Wildcats whom he had chosen to be friendly with. She missed her brother – they had been close since they were… well, embryos. Their obsession with the stage and theatre had maintained that closeness during the years and Sharpay had found her brother to be easily controlled at an early age. And she had enjoyed every minute of it… feeling powerful and domineering – practising her authoritive figure on Ryan over the years had allowed her to perfect her methods on other people: their parents, teachers, relatives, friends… The East High drama club had mainly suffered from her antics. Those who joined for love of the stage had always been pushed back into supporting roles with chorus lines… never being able to have the opportunity to go for lead roles with Sharpay always in the centre of it all. Ms. Darbus' eye never strayed from the Evans twins when it came to her chapel of the arts… her attention span during other's auditions never lasting long until Sharpay and Ryan took the stage.

And then, nine months ago, it had all changed. Gabriella Montez had started at East High and Sharpay had known instantly that this girl was one that needed watching closely. With her ever loyal brother by her side, Sharpay had done everything in her power to ensure that Gabriella would not take her show away from her – but she could feel it slipping the moment she found out that Gabriella had gotten a call back for the lead role of Minnie… her Arnold being none other than Troy Bolton. What spell had this girl cast that had made the Wildcats superstar audition for a school musical? That wasn't part of the cliques… Troy was a jock, a basketball hero – not an actor, and definitely not a singer. And as for Gabriella… well, bookworms certainly had no place on the stage.

For the first time in her life, Sharpay Evans had failed. She had lost out. After the final call backs – and Gabriella and Troy miraculously being able to attend even though there was a basketball championship game and a scholastic decathlon competition happening at the same time – Sharpay had lost out. Darbus was free of the Evans spell. Troy and Gabriella were cast as leads; Ryan and Sharpay as understudies.

_Understudies. _Sharpay Evans was an _understudy_. The world had officially gone mad.

During the rehearsals for Twinkle Towne, she and Ryan had struggled to keep their mouths shut. Her sulking did not go unnoticed by Darbus and she earned a few detention slips as a result of it. As rehearsals went on, Ryan had just gotten on with it without another word and Sharpay had cursed him for not fighting for what was rightfully theirs.

"_Shar; it's done. Just deal with it." _Deal with it? His words had shocked her. That was the beginning point that Sharpay knew she was losing her brother.

And so, she had carried on regardless, not another word. She had watched in the sidelines as Troy and Gabriella's relationship blossomed in front of their eyes. Their real-life romance had quickly become the talk of East High. She had witnessed those sneaky kisses behind the stage curtains, witnessed them getting distracted from their roles when they accidentally called each other by their real names instead of their characters. She had watched them when Darbus was giving another one of her motivational speeches, watched as they laced their fingers together and exchanged smiles with hidden messages that they'd only know.

And as she watched them during those few weeks, she felt like she'd found a missing piece of herself; a piece she wasn't aware was missing in the first place.

She wanted _exactly _what Gabriella Montez had. Not the lead role of Minnie. Not the large brain and a thirst for knowledge. And not that annoying giggle that Troy seemed to love too much…

She wanted a boyfriend; a kind, caring, loving boyfriend. Like Troy. _Exactly _like Troy.

Someone who shared her interests; someone with talent that matched her own. Someone with stunning good looks, school status, a kind heart and a glowing personality.

She wanted Troy.

She had known him since pre-school… so why did it take a stupid school musical and an Einsteinette for her to finally notice him? Her only conclusion had been that she had been far too busy with her acting talents, her stage presence and school domination. Too busy to even have noticed how fantastically wonderful and good looking the basketball captain was. And why on earth had he chosen a girlfriend who was his complete opposite? Sure, Sharpay knew the jocks and the drama students shouldn't hang together… but with their shared powerful status over East High, that made them more than compatible… In fact, completely perfect for each other.

As the end of the school year approached, Sharpay had regained her upbeat attitude. After all, it was summer… and everything changed during summer break. Ryan had seemed highly suspicious of her in the days before school was finally out. Her smile was back; the scheming eyes were shining bright. Everything about her had gone back to the way it was before Gabriella Montez had ever walked through the doors of East High.

A plan had formed in her mind. As soon as she had overheard Troy and Chad talking about needing a summer job, a giant light bulb had gone off in her mind. Her parent's country club was the perfect place for her plan to work… Getting Troy a job there would be no hardship. Her dominance over manager Thomas Fulton was almost effortless and she never failed to make the stuttering manager do as she requested.

_Whatever it takes… _She had told him to get Troy Bolton a job at Lava Springs whatever it takes. Unfortunately for her, it seemed that Troy's request included plenty of loud basketball players and his ever-present girlfriend getting hired as well. And like an idiot, Fulton had fulfilled that request.

The anger that had rained out of Sharpay could not have been described as she saw Gabriella Montez standing by the pool; lifeguard swim wear on and a twinkle in her eyes. Her idea had melted away, just like that. And she had been so certain that it would have worked… Troy would have gotten a job waiting on her hand and foot… they would have spent every day together in the glorious Albuquerque summer sun… Troy would have slowly forgotten all about that other girl as he fell desperately in love with Sharpay… looking at her and touching her the way she had seen him do to Gabriella.

But if there was one thing Sharpay Evans always had, it was a back-up plan. And it was so simple, she could have laughed hysterically. Dangling the prospect of a scholarship in front of Troy's eyes had been easier than she had previously anticipated. Not only did the Wildcats distance themselves, but Gabriella did too. It had been going perfect… Troy had promised to sing with her at the club's talent show and Gabriella was slowly leaving the picture…

The only downside to her plan was losing Ryan. He had fallen for that Wildcat charm the team had somehow displayed on him. But at that time, Sharpay had been so focused on gaining Troy, she didn't care. Ryan could hang out with who he liked as long as she had Troy.

But there was something else she didn't bank on…

Upon first hearing the news of Gabriella's departure and her break-up with Troy, Sharpay had been insanely happy. She had ignored Ryan's protests and lectures – dismissed him as he told her that what she had done had gone too far… that she couldn't change Troy's feelings for Gabriella whether they were together or apart. That no matter how hard she tried, she could never control emotions and other people's feelings. That love was something that could never be tampered with.

That next day, she had strutted around Lava Springs with a spring in her step – looking more dominant and happy than ever before. Fulton had hidden away in his office, knowing that her extremely happy moods meant more requests and demands. As she waltzed in, hoping to find Troy, she had already planned her move… she was going to tell him it was okay, that she was here for him… and no, she didn't mind being a rebound.

But her strutting and smiling and planning had all simultaneously come to a halt when she finally found Troy on the golf course. She could tell from a distance he hadn't slept; his hair dishevelled and his eyes blank. The bright and shining pools of blue that they were had been transformed into lifeless and pale beads. His stance wasn't that of a superstar, but of a loser. The kids he was supposed to be teaching were doing as they pleased, messing around with the expensive golf equipment as Troy looked on expressionless.

Feeling that unfamiliar feeling of remorse, Sharpay had quickly brushed it away; picking up her strutting pace again and plastering a wide grin on her face as she approached him:

"_Hi, Troy." She gave a giggle; one she hoped didn't resemble Gabriella's. "I've been looking for you everywhere!"_

_Troy didn't look up. He stared at the ground, absentmindedly using a golf club to move the ball backwards and forwards at his feet. "Yeah?" He answered slowly; not really taking in her words._

"_Daddy's really excited about the scholarship… he just won't stop talking about how fantastic you are!" Her smile narrowed when his face remained expressionless. "And the Redhawks are coming to the talent show to hear us sing… it's going to be so great! You and me… singing together."_

_As she hummed the opening lines to _'You Are The Music in Me' _Troy looked up at her; sadness beaming out of his eyes. That hit her hard. She'd never seen him like that… _

"_Sharpay, I've told you so many times… it's not my thing. And I can't sing that song with you… not now. It's…" His voice began to break slowly and Sharpay shook her head quickly before stepping closer to him._

"_Its okay, Troy. I'm here for you." She tried to take his hand, but he never allowed her to. "What she's done to you… it's revolting. But I'm here for you – I'm helping you with your future; we all need to look ahead. And you promised to sing. You can't let her ruin your future and what's important."_

_Troy shook his head, dropping the golf club to the floor. "I ruined it. I've ruined everything. Sharpay, I'm sorry, but I'm going home. Can you tell Fulton I'm not feeling very well? I just… I just can't, okay?" _

_Troy dejectedly walked away from her, leaving a mass of golf-frenzied children behind, wondering what they were supposed to do now. Sharpay watched his retreating back and that feeling of remorse hit her harder than ever before…_

As Sharpay watched Troy and Gabriella dancing happily on the dance floor, she had to admit to herself deep down… yes _deep down_… they were a cute couple. That day he had left her standing on the golf course… for the first time in her life she felt the consequences on her own actions. Never before had she seen him looking so sad, so… lifeless. She felt responsible in every way – admitting to herself that she was the one who had taken away everything she liked about Troy Bolton. She had reluctantly admitted to herself that Ryan had been right; that love was something she could never tamper with and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make Troy Bolton happy. They just weren't meant to be.

But after finally admitting that to herself, she didn't count on falling hopelessly in love with him. She'd never felt that way about anyone… like she wanted to wrap them in her arms and kiss away all the hurt and pain. She had hurt him; she had driven Gabriella away…She had succeeded in her mission; she had failed her own heart in the process.

Sharpay Evans had felt the heart piercing pain of unrequited love. He'd never feel that way about her. He'd never look at her the way he did Gabriella. He'd never see her as anything more than a friend. And that hurt.

Her heart had swelled with pure joy and passion when he had come back, stating he would sing with her, that he never broke his promises and that they were all in this together. And as he promised her he'd sing if his Wildcat friends could too, she wished deep down in her heart that she had noticed him before. That he could see what was inside of her and not focus on the scheming, manipulating part. She wished he could have seen past Gabriella Montez and fallen in love with her…

"_You're a good guy, Troy. I just kinda wish you were doing this for me…"_

It hurt her to say; and a part of her had hoped that he would say he was doing it all for her. Fate had other ideas up its sleeve… so much so that Sharpay had found herself tricked by her own brother… just so Troy and Gabriella could be reunited on stage and off. As she watched Troy and Gabriella hold on tightly to one another as they sang on her stage, Sharpay felt the only good thing that had come out of it all was Ryan finally learning something from her. Even if the trick was played on her.

She watched as Troy picked up a giggling Gabriella and spun her around before kissing her and suddenly she felt glad that Ryan had managed to reunite them. After all, the Troy Bolton everybody had known and loved was back… happy, content… in love. Sharpay sighed quietly to herself as she watched them, feeling all alone in a sea of glitter… the fight leaving her as she finally accepted that Troy and Gabriella were a perfect match. Meant to be. A part of fate that she suddenly feared she'd never find.

She had lost it all: her stage, her status, Troy, her brother… was there much point in scheming and manipulating anymore? Should she just take Ryan's advice and try to get along with the Wildcats? Would they even forgive her? Would Troy even forgive her?

With another sigh, she pushed herself off the wall and headed towards the girl's bathroom. She needed to get away from it all… it just hurt her too bad to watch. But she knew it was something she was going to have to get used to… If anything it had to make her stronger.

As she washed her hands and looked at herself in the mirror, she thought about how her life had turned out… and the complete failure she'd turned out to be. Always in control, was Sharpay Evans… always on the ball and one step above everybody else. How had she not seen this coming? How could she not know she was falling in love with someone who she could never call her own?

Her thoughts were disrupted when the bathroom door swung open and Jess McLean, followed closely by three giggling cheerleaders entered. They ignored her presence and stood at the other side of the bathroom, gazing at themselves in the mirror and applying more make-up.

"You totally knocked her over!" Alicia Duvall laughed, applying another layer of mascara.

"Nah; she didn't hit the floor." Jess grinned, filing a nail.

Ellie Jameson and Lisa Carmichael shrugged their shoulders as they finished their never-ending duty of making sure their captain was looking good. Ellie placed her cup on non-alcoholic punch on the side of the sink as she reached inside her bag for her cellphone.

"I should have got a picture." She declared, holding up her new and expensive cell.

"Don't worry," Jess smirked, putting down her nail file and picking up a brush. "We'll do it again; she'll hit the floor and _then_ you can get a picture!"

Sharpay didn't have to take three guesses to know who they were talking about. It was common knowledge throughout the school who Jess' current arch rival was. Sharpay just took out her own brush and ran it through her hair, listening in with intent and curiosity.

"It's going to be tough to break Troy…" Lisa continued as she placed her eye-liner back in her bag.

Jess scoffed. "Nah. That one's easy. Just a little bit of seduction… works every time. And Gabriella is going to get so annoyed with us; it won't be long until she leaves him. Don't worry girls, I have a plan."

_Oh man, was I really this delusional? _Sharpay hoped and prayed she wasn't, though a small part of her knew she had been… She placed her brush back into her bag and took in a deep breath as she prepared herself to go back out to the dance…

The door opened again, and Sharpay saw Gabriella wince and the cheerleaders stop their talking as they laid eyes on one another. Standing back by the sinks, Sharpay watched as Gabriella quickly went into a cubicle and locked the door.

The look on Jess's face could only be described as evil… and as much as Sharpay wanted to leave at that precise moment, she didn't think she could. Taking out her own make-up, she pretended to be focused on her lip gloss as she turned back to face the mirror and watched the four cheerleaders in the reflection.

"…and then do you know what Troy said to me?" Jess started again, a smile wide on her features. "He said that as soon as he bangs that little geek, he's going to dump her just for me. He said that she's just waiting for be fucked and chucked… and he's made a bet with everyone that he could do it."

"Wow, really, Jess?" Alicia put on the extra drama and Sharpay scoffed; knowing none of their acting skills could ever make the stage.

"Yep. I just hope he showers properly after he's done it. I don't want to catch anything from her…"

Her words were cut off as the cubicle door opened and Gabriella slowly walked out, making her way to the sinks. She avoided the glares of all four cheerleaders and Sharpay watched as the timid Einsteinette held her head up high as she reached the sink, washing her hands slowly to prove a point that their words weren't hurting her.

Sharpay sensed the trouble before it actually began, and her heart leapt when she saw the four cheerleaders exchange knowing glances before making their way towards the brunette and crowding around her.

"You think you're better than us, Montez; is that it?" Jess spat into her face as her three friends closed in around her. "Stop pretending you don't care about what we're talking about. You know it's true!"

"No, actually, I don't…" Gabriella avoided eye contact and slowly swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat.

Jess stepped closer to her, so much so that it was hard for Gabriella to keep her eyes away from hers… her close and intimidating presence forcing her to look up. "You better start making this easier for yourself, Nerd. You know you're no good for someone like him. And whether you like it or not, I always win. You may think you've got him under your spell but everybody else knows different… and I always get what I want."

Gabriella looked at the three other girls in the reflection; her interior crumbling before her… but she wouldn't allow them to see her fall. She'd been in that place before; had been the victim of bullying at her old schools. East High was always going to be different to her… She'd never let them see her crumble. "You can try, Jess…" she swallowed; her voice was hoarse and her throat was dry. "I'm not breaking up with him."

Jess held up her arm and shoved her hard in the shoulder, taking her off balance. "What did you just say?" She demanded; her friends moving around and behind her as Gabriella was backed up against the other wall. "What did you just say to me?"

"Hey…" Sharpay's words caught in her throat as she watched, but nobody heard her…

"You filthy little whore." Jess shoved her backwards violently. As her back hit the wall with force, Gabriella grimaced with the pain. She kept her shoulders level, her head high… there was no way they would see her as a victim…

With a short burst of bravery, Gabriella smiled. "The only whore I see around here is-"

SMACK! A sharp, stinging pain hit her cheek and her ears started to ring with the force. Jess had slapped her across the face in one, quick and swift movement that no one in the room had seen it coming. Sharpay watched on in shock, her mouth hanging open as she looked at Gabriella who held a hand against her red cheek, unshed tears lingering in her eyes as a result of the force.

Her neck hurt when she picked up her head…her cheek stung and her ears where ringing uncontrollably. The blood rushed to her head, tears pricked at her eyelids. Visibly shaking, Gabriella tried to keep the tears at bay; her determination to keep in control weakening by the second as one by one, the tears fell to her cheeks. Jess smiled victoriously as she watched.

"See…you're no fighter now, are you? All talk and all brains… but you'll never give Troy what he needs… You're just an ugly, filthy, cheap and nasty whore… You waltzed into this school like you owned it and you stole Troy from me. You think I was going to let you off lightly? No way. You hurry up and realise you'll _never_ be anything more than a boring little bookworm. A waste of perfectly good yearbook space. The sooner you realise and step away from what isn't rightfully yours, the easier your sad little life will become."

Sharpay didn't know where her own burst of energy came from, nor did she know just _why_ she suddenly found herself at Gabriella's side… Of all places she thought she'd be in her life, she never thought she'd end up standing beside Gabriella Montez…protection and anger beaming in her eyes.

Standing tall, she stood just in front of the weeping and shaking brunette, staring at the head cheerleader dead in the eye. Jess stepped back and looked at he friends in astonishment, a humourous smirk on her face. "I'm sorry, Evans; where you feeling left out?"

"Back off, Jess." She hissed. "You're going too far."

Jess threw her head back and laughed. "I'm sorry… you're _defending_ her? And there was me thinking you had the hots for Troy too… that you _hated_ her! My, my; things certainly are turning weird at this school. Mind you, I guess you and your brother are getting a bit retarded… It wasn't that long ago he was trying to defend her too!"

Sharpay breathed in deep, feeling Gabriella shaking behind her. "Well maybe it's because you're going too far! Just get over it, Jess; if he wanted you, you'd be together by now! Just leave her alone. All she's done wrong is fall for him… just like me and you! Just because he fell for her too, it doesn't mean she should be punished for it."

"Are you _joking_?!" Jess laughed in disbelief. "I can't believe this! First the bitch lands Bolton, _then_ she hires her own little army to fight her battles! Tell me, Evans, just _how _are you going to make me leave her alone?"

Sharpay just breathed deeply, never taking her eyes away from Jess; the fight inside her building with her anger. She was terrified but the adrenaline raced through her at a great rate of knots. The determination the protect hitting with full force. "Just back off."

The playfulness in Jess's eyes bounced excitedly and everybody watched as she backed away from the couple and picked up Ellie's cup of punch. She slowly walked back, teasing the two girls with the cup and Sharpay found herself reaching behind her for Gabriella's arm, which she latched onto tightly.

"Make me." Jess shrugged nonchalantly. "Come on." She challenged, watching in delight as the anger built up in Sharpay's face. "Come on, Little Miss Protector… protect little Gabriella from me…" Her taunting voice even made the other cheerleaders back away and watch curiously.

"Jess…" Sharpay meant for it to come out as a threat, but her own bravery was wearing thin.

Getting right up close, Jess smiled and tilted the cup. "Oops…" she put a finger innocently to her mouth as the red liquid leaked out of the cup and down Gabriella's white frock. Gabriella let out a squeal of shock as the fluid slowly stained her dress.

Her heart beating at ten times its normal rate, Sharpay had no idea what came over her, when suddenly she felt her arm being pulled back and her hand coming into contact with Jess's face. Jess screamed on impact, the force making her fall to the floor and Sharpay watched everything happen in slow motion – her hand stinging with the force of the hit.

As Jess fell to the floor, her friends watched in horror before quickly attending to her. Sharpay finally turned to look at Gabriella; her tear-stained face and look of shock not creating any impact on her as Sharpay placed an arm around her shoulder and quickly ushered her out of the bathroom. She didn't have time to think about what she'd just done… something she never thought in a million years she'd ever have the nerve to do.

As they left the bathroom, she felt Gabriella buckle next to her and she fell to the floor in hysterical sobs. Sharpay slowly knelt down beside her and took her arm. "Come on…" she whispered. "We'll go find Troy."

She helped Gabriella up and placed a comforting arm around her shoulders again, hugging her in close. As they reached the cafeteria again, Sharpay caught sight of her brother… and the look on his face when he noticed a tearful Gabriella and her once beautiful white dress stained an ugly red.

"Shar…" He croaked. "Babs?" Sharpay brought them to a halt in front of her brother and looked at him helplessly as he took his friend and hugged her close to him. Gabriella cried out loud against him and he gently rocked her. "What the hell…?"

"I…" Sharpay started to speak, but stopped when Zeke came up behind them.

"What the fuck?!" He gasped, looking to Sharpay for some sort of answer.

"Just get Troy." Ryan told him as he continued to rock his sobbing friend. Zeke didn't need telling twice; nearly tripping over his own feet as he rushed through the crowds.

Sharpay tried to keep her own emotions at bay; the fright she had endured just as overwhelming. She knew that Jess would never forget it…and never let her forget it. She couldn't believe she had actually _hit_ someone… and all in the defence of a girl that she was so certain she disliked… Her heart pounded and tears lingered in her eyes as she watched Ryan try to comfort Gabriella, his hand rubbing her back slowly. Her eyes moved again to three running figures; Troy, Chad and Zeke were approaching quickly and Troy stopped at the scene before him.

Ryan turned around, taking Gabriella with him. Upon seeing Troy's look of confusion, he gestured for him to come closer. As he did, Ryan gently took a hold of Gabriella's shoulders and turned her around, gently guiding her into the arms of her boyfriend.

Gabriella latched onto him tightly, her face buried into his neck as her sobs became louder. Troy held onto her just as tight, a hand burying itself in her hair and his sad eyes asking silent questions to everybody else.

"What the fuck has just happened here?!" Chad's anger pointed to Sharpay, assuming she was to blame. Sharpay didn't blame him for jumping to conclusions, considering her past behaviour.

"Cheerleaders." She replied and pointed to the closed bathroom door. "Jess… she… she was bullying her and then she hit her…"

"She _hit_ you?!" Troy pulled back from the embrace and cupped his girlfriend's jawline desperately, forcing her to look at him. He gently ran his thumb over her red and swollen cheek, his breath becoming haggard when he saw the proof. Gabriella didn't reply; the endless tears cascading down her cheek as she tried to bury her face in his neck again.

"Why, those stupid bitches…" Zeke hissed. Ryan just nodded helplessly and turned to his sister, seeing the emotion in her eyes.

"Are you okay, Shar?" He asked, an arm going around her neck. Sharpay nodded slowly, watching Troy and Gabriella and feeling a sharp tug on her heart.

"Just…was scared, that's all. I saw the whole thing… and I couldn't leave…" She allowed a tear to fall and looked up as she caught Troy's grateful gaze fall on her. "I just had to do something…"

Ryan hugged his sister tighter as she broke off; Chad and Zeke looking on in disbelief. "I know. We're grateful for what you did…"

Troy kissed his girlfriend's forehead and brought his mouth to her ear. "I'm taking you home." Gabriella didn't fight it as he gently scooped her up into her arms and started to carry her towards the exit.

"You want us to come?" Chad offered as Troy passed him.

Troy stopped and shook his head, though was grateful knowing his best friend was there if needed. "It's okay. I'll just take her home. I'll call you tomorrow." Chad nodded his response and they watched as Troy tenderly carried her out of the cafeteria and out of the school, towards his car.

Chad stepped forward to Sharpay. "That…er…" he stopped and scratched his head. "That was… Thanks, Sharpay. I mean it. From all of us."

Sharpay nodded as Chad turned to walk away and saw Ms. Darbus marching through the crowd, demanding to know what was going on. Ryan stepped up; telling the drama teacher what he knew as Jess and her three friends finally emerged from the bathroom and ran out of the cafeteria.

Sharpay folded her arms tight across her chest, waiting for the inevitable trouble she would be in. Zeke stepped in close, looking at her in all sympathy and held out his hand for her as a slow song rang out through the speakers.

"Do you want to dance?"

Sharpay looked down at the offered out hand and gently took it with a small smile; realising that maybe her happily ever after wasn't that far away after all…


	26. All Better

**A/N: Okay, people. Announcements. **

**First off: I have **_**actually**_** finished university for six weeks. Give me a 'Woop! Woop!' listens Sweet. Six whole weeks away from stoopid essays, stoopid lectures and just plain old stoopid stoopidness that university brings. That also means six whole weeks of undivided High School Musical fan fiction-ness! Give me a 'Waaaayyyyoooo!'**

**Okay, secondly; this chapter took me **_**forever **_**to write. Yes, **_**forever**_**! It's bloody long and filled jam-packed to the absolute MAX of total and utter Troyella fluff. All lovely and fluffy. And if it weren't for Caroline – who's been a gem in helping me with the last few chapters, I don't think I would have got through it without getting out a rifle and shooting my laptop. Thank you, Caroline! Mwah! Xx**

**Last of all… Have been having this debate with various people: don't you think the Hairspray song 'Without Love' would sound **_**so much **_**better if the word 'Tracy' was replaced by 'Holly'. Ya know, for example, it would go; **_**'Holly, never set me free…'**__**'Holly, I'm in love with you no matter what you weigh'**_** and **_**'HOLL! I WANNA KISS YA!' **_

**What do you think? Yes? No? Do you care? Do you just want to read? **

**Fine then, think about it…**

**Love y'all for ya fantastic reviews and … I am so going to shut up now. Enjoy this super-duper extra long fluffy chapter! xx**

**TWENTY-SIX – All Better**

Troy pulled up on the Montez driveway and turned off his engine; his gaze helplessly falling on his girlfriend sitting in the passenger seat. He'd tried to speak to her during the drive home, but Gabriella had remained silent, choosing to stare out of the passenger window instead with her arms wrapped tight around herself. She had finally stopped crying, but the sadness in her eyes hit Troy hard like a tonne of bricks; and for the first time in their relationship he feared he wouldn't be able to do anything to make it all better.

Tentatively, he reached over and placed a hand on her knee, squeezing gently to try to bring her out of her trance. "Hey." He breathed, rubbing her knee slowly. "We're back." He saw her sigh and nod her head slightly; her gaze still focused out of the window. "Gabi, are you going to talk to me?" She didn't reply and Troy ran a tired hand through his hair, trying to keep in the anger he was feeling inside. Just one more look at her dress and cheek would have surely sent him over the edge.

"There's nothing to talk about." She finally answered, and in a swift movement, she turned her face to him, leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. "Night, Troy." He watched her expressionless as she reached for the car door and opened it; stepping out onto her driveway.

"Hey, wait; woah…" He shook his head in disbelief – did she really think he'd just call it a night, just like that? He nearly stumbled as he jumped out of the car; not even thinking to lock it as he raced across the garden and towards his girlfriend, watching as she struggled to unlock the door. "Gabriella…"

"Troy, just leave it, please?" She was pleading with him as she finally got the door open; wanting to just be alone. Troy held the door open, showing her that he wasn't going anywhere.

"Just leave it?!" He looked at her in disbelief, inviting himself into her house and following her into the living room. "How the hell can I just leave it, Gabi? Look what she's done to you!"

"I know, Troy; I don't need reminding."

"But we need to talk…" He drifted off, staring at her back, wishing she'd turn around and _look_ at him. "You really think I could just leave you here like this? Jesus, Gabi…don't you know me better than that?"

"I just want to be alone, is that too much to ask?" Her sharp tone cut through him, but she didn't mean to sound so harsh. She refused to look at him and she refused to break down again. Slowly, Troy walked towards her, gently placing his hands on her upper arms, trying to coax her to turn around. Shrugging him away, Gabriella walked towards the couch. "Troy…just _please_ leave me alone…"

"I can't…" He breathed. He knew he couldn't walk out, even if she charged at him with a giant kitchen knife threatening to kill him if he didn't. His heart dropped as he watched her sit on the couch, her face buried in her hands. He felt useless. He was hurt that she couldn't even _talk_ to him. He was adamant he wasn't giving up and as he kneeled down in front of her, she gently looked at him as he tucked strands of hair behind her ear. "You know I love you…" She nodded dumbly. He swallowed. "And you're always telling me to talk to you if I feel like things are getting on top of me… Baby, you've _got_ to talk to me too. I'm your boyfriend; it's my job to make things better."

He watched as Gabriella stared down at her fingers, twiddling them in her lap. He captured her hands in his own, stopping her nervous twitches as he gently caressed them; forcing her to look at him. "Gabi, _please_ tell me what happened…"

He saw the flash of hurt and embarrassment in her eyes; _felt_ her blood boil as he tried to coax her into reliving what had happened. But the words had already left his mouth… and he didn't mean for them to annoy her. She pushed his hands away from hers shoved him backwards slightly. Gabriella stood up, her fingers rubbing her temples as she gave out a frustrated groan and marched out of the living room.

"Gabriella…"

"Troy, _don't_ follow me, okay?"

He ignored her, watching as she stampeded up the stairs. He started to follow her, picking up speed when he remembered the lock she had on her bedroom door. "What did she say to you, Gabi?" He started to run as he reached the top of the stairs, and before she could slam her bedroom door shut, he pushed it open forcefully and watched as she sat on her bed in aggravation.

"_Why_ can't you just let me be?" She looked at him as he closed the door behind him. "I'll call you tomorrow, okay? I just need to be alone right now."

"Why can't you talk to me?" He shot back. "I thought we could tell each other _anything_…it's just another thing that makes what we have so special…" He drifted off, moving closer to the bed. "What did she say to you?"

"It doesn't matter what she said."

"I think you'll find it does!" Troy could feel his own frustration pouring out, and the sudden feeling that he felt that he would have to _fight_ for their relationship scared him. He let out a sigh, running his hand through his hair as he wished he could read her mind; find out just what she was thinking right then and there. Bravely, he asked the question he needed answering at that moment. "Am I worth all of this?"

Gabriella finally met his gaze, her eyes penetrating his. "What?" it came out as a hoarse whisper.

"Am I worth all of this?" He repeated, this time taking his eyes away and not being able to look at her; afraid of the answer. "Am I worth all the… all the teasing and bullying and snide comments you get at school? Is it worth being with me when all you get back are evil cheerleaders hitting you and pouring drinks down you?"

Her face fell into her hands again. "Don't make this about you…"

"How can it not be?! You think she would have done all of that to you if we weren't together? You and I both know that if we weren't together, she wouldn't even look twice at you… Hell, your life would be a lot easier."

Gabriella just shrugged. "True." She answered. "Can't disagree with you there…"

Troy just breathed, knowing what was coming. Gabriella just stayed silent, her eyes cast to the floor. As she heard him mutter, "I'm going to kill her…" she flew out of her seat, almost charging into him.

"God, Troy; don't you see that's _just_ what she wants?! Your undivided attention! Doesn't matter if you're threatening her or sticking your tongue down her throat – it makes no difference to her."

Feeling his heartbeat plunge to a hundred miles an hour, Troy swallowed the forming lump in his throat, and stared deep in his girlfriend's eyes. "She's already succeeded in ruining what we have… does it really matter?"

Getting more and more aggravated by the second, Gabriella fell back onto the bed, her hands shooting up and into her hair, almost pulling it out in frustration. "Troy…just _stop_, okay?! You're not making this better at all; you're making it worse if anything! Can you just leave me alone? It's all my fault for falling so damn hard for you in the first place…" As she looked up, she saw the hurt flash in his eyes, and her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach.

"And now you regret it, right?"

She opened her mouth to speak, not quite believing she had allowed those words to leave her mouth. She watched him turn back towards the door and didn't allow herself to think as she rushed to her feet and reached for his hand, pulling him to back to her. "No, of course I don't!" She could feel tears pricking at her eyes again. "I just feel so…" She cursed herself inside as the tears slowly started to fall again, angry for allowing herself to get into this state again. Looking down at her ruined dress, she held her arms out to her sides to emphasis the point she was trying to make. "Just… look at me!"

She finally allowed herself to cry as Troy enveloped her in his arms, hugging her tight and kissing her head every few seconds. As he held her, Gabriella couldn't think of any rational reason why she had continually told him to leave her alone that night – she knew she couldn't have possibly calmed down on her own; crying into her pillow until sleep claimed her. He was the only thing she needed, and true to his word – just by hugging her – he was fulfilling his job and making it all better.

And as his girlfriend, she had to make it all better for him to.

Looking up from his neck and running her fingers over his face, she pushed her lips to his in a faithful kiss. Pulling away only slightly, she let her breath linger over his mouth. "Of course you're worth it." She finally answered, wanting to hit herself over and over again for _letting_ him think that way. "Don't even think for one second that you're not. You have no idea how happy you make me… why the hell would I even let _anyone_, most of all _her_, take that away?"

Troy pushed his forehead against Gabriella's, taking in her words and permitting them to sink in. He looked at her, desperately wanting her to talk to him but scared if her reaction if he were to ask her to again. "I don't know." He answered stupidly. Gabriella let her hands fall down his chest and she reached behind her for his hands that were pressed against her lower back. She took his hands and laced their fingers together. She let out a small moan when Troy let go of one of her hands, grazing his fingers gently against her sore cheek. "I should have been there…"

Gabriella finally let out a small smile. "What? In the girls' bathroom?"

"You know what I mean."

Trying to put a smile back on her boyfriend's face, Gabriella smirked jokingly at him. "Yeah… you mean you should have been there when it happened. In the girls' bathroom. Do you not know how creepy that would have been?" She grinned as he finally let up and a smile broke out.

"Rather be a weird, creepy guy who wanders into the girls' bathroom than have my girlfriend hit in the face…"

Gabriella rested her head back against his shoulder. "I dread to think what would have happened if Sharpay hadn't shown up…" She felt him sigh deeply again as his fingers ran though her hair slowly.

"Please tell me what happened."

"She just… appeared. Like… out of nowhere." The disbelief was obvious in her voice. "Jess hit me when I refused to break up with you and then suddenly Sharpay was standing in front of me, telling Jess to back off."

"Are we seriously talking about the same Sharpay here? I mean, I'm grateful that she was there, but… it doesn't make sense as to _why_ she'd stand up for you. If I'd put her anywhere, it would be behind Jess."

"Well, she certainly wasn't." Gabriella continued, smiling as she felt his lips against her temple again. "Jess thought it was the funniest thing in the world – Sharpay defending me. It was such a laugh to her that she started taunting Sharpay – telling her to _make_ her leave me alone. That's when she picked up the drink and drenched me in it… And that's when Sharpay hit her."

"Sharpay _hit_ her?!" Troy pulled back from the embrace, catching Gabriella's gaze to make sure he saw truth there. Gabriella nodded her response with a smile.

"Hit her a lot harder than she hit me, as well," she added, her smile widening as she remembered watching the cheerleader fall to the floor. Troy smiled with her, wanting to picture Sharpay's now-infamous blow to Jess' face and he silently prayed that she would have a black eye tomorrow morning. Gabriella slowly eased herself back into his arms, her face burying itself in his neck as she sighed contentedly.

They seemed to have been standing in that same position for hours, yet neither of them were complaining. Gabriella almost wanted to hug Jess for allowing her some alone time with her boyfriend; and realising the irony of the situation, Gabriella wanted to laugh out loud. The couple could have stayed like that forever, until Gabriella's cellphone started ringing manically from her bag. Stepping away from her boyfriend, she shot him a quick smile before retreating back to her bed where her bag had been thrown earlier. Seeing Taylor's face on the main screen, she sighed before answering.

"_Oh my god! As soon as Chad told me, I wanted to call ASAP but he told me to leave it for an hour so you and Troy had chance to talk… but I couldn't wait any longer! Are you okay?!"_

Gabriella sat down on the edge of the bed, beckoning for Troy to join her. "Yes, Tay; I'm okay."

"_The bitch! The stupid bitch!" _Taylor continued to ramble and Gabriella had to actually remove the phone from her ear slightly to maintain her ear drum. _"How dare she? Fuck, if I had been there, she would have got more than a fucking slap! That's for fucking sure! And, oh. My. God. What the fuck had gotten into Sharpay?! Ryan said she stopped the whole thing _and_ hit Jess square in the face! I wish I had seen it…"_

Gabriella couldn't help but let out a chuckle. Troy pulled a face with a small and amused smile. "Looking back, it was a treasured moment… What happened after we left?"

"_Ryan told Darbus what he knew; but she wants to see you and Troy first thing on Monday morning. Sharpay gave her evidence, but Darbus wants you all together to back each other up. Jess and her cronies evacuated the building before Darbus could get hold of them… But they'll be in serious trouble on Monday. Principal Matsui is going to get involved, I think…"_

"Great."

"_But, hey… - and this is from all of us, by the way – we're all here for you, and we're all thinking about you. You are telling me the truth when you say you're okay, aren't you?"_

"Yes, I'm telling you the truth. In fact, I'm perfect, Tay. Troy's made it all better." Gabriella shot Troy a smile and slowly leaned into him, pressing her lips to his in a sensual, and grateful, kiss.

"_Eww. Stop that. You think I can't hear you lip-smacking? It's gross. Quit it." _Gabriella chuckled as she pulled away. _"Actually…that reminds me…" _Taylor's voice had suddenly turned higher and squeakier; meaning she was getting excited at the prospect of something. And Gabriella knew just what…

"Tay…" She warned in a quiet tone, causing Troy to look at her suspiciously.

"_Getting touchy, are we my dear little Gabriella…? Well, I'll say nothing; you obviously know what I'm referring to. Just…enjoy it, okay?"_

"Taylor…"

"_You love him; and he loves you. Enjoy it." _

Gabriella was unable to utter another word as Taylor swiftly put the phone down on her. She knew her best friend meant well, but saying the right thing at the wrong time was one of her worst traits, and now Gabriella felt nervous. As she pressed the 'call end' button on her cell and placed it back on the bed, she turned her head to look at Troy, who had fallen tiredly on his back; his hands rubbing his face. She smiled, knowing how much he loved her mattress – everytime he fell on it, he always felt the urge to go to sleep – calling it the most comfortable mattress in the world.

"Hey." She leaned over him and grinned when he let his hands fall and looked at her. "Are you turning into Mr. Sleepy Head again?"

"No." Troy yawned.

"You are." She giggled.

"Am not." Another yawn.

Rolling her eyes, Gabriella fell down next to him on her back; a hand reaching over and grasping his, their now-linked hands resting on his stomach. They lay in silence, and Gabriella almost didn't dare look over to Troy in case he had fallen asleep and she wouldn't be able to move him into a more comfy spot. She wanted to laugh out loud remembering all the times he had fallen asleep on her bed in the most weird positions imaginable. She honestly didn't know how he could sleep that way without seriously damaging his spine in some way; and she always had to struggle to move him into a more natural position. But that was Troy… he could sleep anywhere, in any position. So lost in her thoughts she was, she nearly didn't hear Troy utter her name.

"Gabi…" He repeated a little louder. This time she heard him loud and clear and turned onto her side, facing him as she propped her head up on her elbow.

"Hmm?"

"Please talk to me."

A frown. "What about?"

Troy faced her, the sadness and helplessness back in his eyes. "You know what about. I'm sorry if I'm about to start another argument… but I have to know what she did that made you cry like that. You know I hate seeing you cry."

"Troy…"

"And it wasn't just the hit, was it? Or the fact she ruined your dress? I've never seen you like that before… the way you held onto me when Ryan put you in my arms… Gabi, it scared me." She saw him swallow the lump in his throat and his eyes bore into hers. "I felt like I couldn't do anything to help you… That in some way, I'd failed to look after you. I was off somewhere doing the tango with Chad – very badly, may I add – and you were trapped in there with that bitch. And look what she did. I just feel…"

"Don't say responsible. How the hell were you to know what was happening?"

"Look." He sighed. "I need to know what it was that put you in that state. And don't lie."

"Do I have to?" She pouted, jokingly cuddling into his side like a child.

"I'm not playing, Gabi. I'm serious."

"Well, I'm serious too…" She nuzzled his face; a last ditch attempt to change the subject. She could feel him getting annoyed and she couldn't find a way out of it. It wasn't like she _couldn't_ tell him – like he said, they could tell each other anything. She'd had enough embarrassment for one evening, and telling him would only add more.

"Gabriella…"

She stopped nuzzling his face and lifted her head up; looking down on him as she propped it up with her hand. Okay, so he _was_ being serious…he never referred to her by her full name unless he was in a serious mood. Which was rare. She saw the genuine care for her shining in his eyes and her heart swelled. Taylor was right. She knew tonight was the night. How much more perfect could he look at her right now?

"Look." She let out another sigh, running her fingertips slowly over his forehead, brushing away the strands of hair that lay there. "It's hard to say."

"Then tell me the easy way."

"Then you can't laugh at me…"

"I haven't seen anything tonight that I think is even remotely funny."

"Except Chad getting hit continually by Taylor?"

"Don't change the subject."

Well, that was her final attempt going out of the window. Troy hadn't even cracked a smile when she mentioned Chad – which she hoped he would. "Okay, look," she closed her eyes briefly. "I'll tell you but then after I do, that's it. Conversation over. Promise?"

"Promise." He finally smiled. "Now spill."

Gabriella entwined their fingers together again; breathing slowly as she tried to get the words in the right order in her head. She doubted he could understand gobbledygook. Even if he spoke it half the time.

"I'm not new to this whole teasing thing, Troy. I got teased at every school I've ever attended. It's like I'm immune to it now…"

"Obviously you're not; otherwise you wouldn't have reacted like this…"

"Okay, so I _thought_ I was immune." Gabriella corrected herself with a quick roll of her eyes. "But it did used to get me down, a lot. It's like the kids were actually getting kicks out of doing it just because I was smarter than them – and it wasn't as though it was _hard_ to be smarter than them, if you know what I mean. But yeah, it used to hurt me… Just them calling me a freak used to make me cry. And they loved it. So a few months before I left Sun High in San Diego, I promised myself that I wouldn't listen to another bully. And if I did listen, then I wouldn't cry. Because it makes you look weak."

"So what did Jess do different?"

"To be honest, nothing really." Gabriella shrugged slowly. "She did make me laugh though. When I was in the cubicle, she was basically acting out this little scene she had in her head – some fantasy about how you were getting ready to dump me because you couldn't resist her anymore. And when I came out and she saw I was ignoring her… that's when she laid into me. I refused to break up with you and then I made her really mad…"

"By doing what?" Troy's curious face leaned in closer to her; his hand gently pushing her hair back behind her ears.

Gabriella suddenly grinned. "I _may_ have implied she was a whore…"

"You called her a whore?!" Troy's grin matched her own.

"_Implied _it…" She giggled softly when he rolled her eyes and tapped her nose. "She hit me before I could finish…"

"And then what?"

"And then…" She drifted off. "I don't know. It happened so fast. My cheek was literally on fire and then I felt the tears coming from the pain and I couldn't stop them. It wasn't as if I _wanted_ to cry; I'd already promised myself I wouldn't. But she couldn't tell they were unwanted… and then she saw right through me. That's when Sharpay came and defended me. She was brilliant, Troy. She didn't move… even when Jess was taunting her."

"I always said Sharpay had some balls…"

"And I always had this deep secret feeling that _maybe_ she wasn't really a bad person…"

"And I thought you were quitting with the subject-changing."

Cocking an eyebrow and yet feeling more at ease, Gabriella continued. "Look, I got really upset because she managed to break through that barrier I'd worked so hard to make. Once those unwanted tears came, they wouldn't stop… and she loved it." When she saw him looking sincerely at her, her tone lowered. "I just… I just didn't think she'd _hate_ me. I mean, I know a lot of girls don't like me but I didn't think any of them actually hated me. She poured that drink down on me even though I was crying… even though Sharpay knew it was wrong. It has to be bad if _Sharpay_ thought it was wrong and thought she had to defend me! And Jess still did it."

Troy could see her getting emotional and he slowly sat up, cupping her cheek as he did so. "She's just jealous. She's not you."

"She's not just jealous, Troy; she _hates_ me. I've done nothing to her and she hates me. I didn't think anybody could actually hate someone…there's such thing as disliking someone but not hating…I guess I'm just naïve."

"No, not naïve…Jess is just a stupid, jealous bitch."

"Well, now we've got that out of the way, Bolton…" Gabriella allowed her body to fall on top of his, grinning victoriously as he grunted with the fall of her weight on his chest. Her head settled itself into his shoulder, her arm wrapped securely around his middle.

"Don't you dare fall asleep on me." It wasn't a very convincing threat considering the fact he was rubbing up and down her arm slowly which was _making_ her drift off. "Are you feeling okay now? Honestly, Gabi?"

"All better." She smiled, not opening her eyes. "Good job, Boyfriend."

"Anytime, Girlfriend. Anything else I can do to tend to your needs?"

_Oh, what a question… _"Hmm…" Gabriella put on her best thinking face, though Troy couldn't see it. Eventually she lifted her head, resting her chin on his chest as she gazed up at him. "You could stay here tonight."

His hand curled around her neck and he grinned stupidly. "Why? Are you afraid of the dark?"

Her eyes lifted heavenwards and she blew a strand of hair off her forehead annoyingly. "Oh, you read me like a book, Wildcat. I'm absolutely terrified of the dark."

"You sure you want me here? I mean, I can always drive home and get Mr. Moo…"

"Yeah, actually; that's a good idea." Gabriella laughed out loud at the look of pure disbelief on Troy's face and knew she was about to enter a world of tickle-fests. Before Troy could manoeuvre his arms, she leapt out of his embrace; her hands held out in defence as he too sat up on the bed.

"Methinks you don't trust me, Montez. Now just what is it you think I'm going to do…?"

"What you usually do when you like to pretend I've offended you!" she shot back, backing away from him slightly.

"Well, you have offended me. You'd rather spend the night with my teddy bear." Troy menacingly held up his hands and wiggled his fingers in mock threat.

Gabriella shook her head quickly and kicked off her shoes, bravely making her way back to him. "Okay then, I'm sorry. How about a compromise?"

Troy pretended to think. "Hmm…interesting. What kind of compromise?"

Her arms suddenly found themselves around his neck, her face close to his. She smiled as she felt him encase her in his own arms. "Instead of you tickling me and sending me into a complete laughing fit… how about we just kiss and make up instead?"

"I don't know." He smirked at her horrified face. "I was kinda looking forward to tickling you."

"Well, tough luck." Her hands curled around his neck, pulling him for a kiss. He didn't complain and he didn't break away as their passions mounted and the kiss deepened. Gabriella let herself melt; her mind almost spiralling out of control as those nerves set in. If Troy knew she was nervous, he didn't show it – which annoyed her to an extent because she knew that what she had in mind for the evening was the last thing on his mind. As far as he was concerned, she would be going on the pill next week… and then they'd start to _talk_ about the next level. Gabriella Montez had a lot of work to do and unfortunately, jumping on him and screaming out that she wanted him wasn't very romantic…

But at least he'd get the hint…

Her heart began to pound in her chest and she felt slightly dizzy at the prospect of what she wanted to happen that night. She vaguely remembered Taylor's words; _'let it happen naturally'_ but any thoughts of her friend's advice were slowly slipping from her mind as she let a small moan escape her lips into Troy's mouth. She tingled when she felt Troy's fingertips gently grazed her lower back and the feeling; so simple, yet so wonderful gave her a burst of confidence that she never knew she possessed.

Gabriella slowly allowed her hands to fall from his neck; gradually gliding below his shirt collar towards the front of the garment. His top two buttons had been undone all evening, teasingly exposing a tiny glimpse of his chest. Her fingers began to shake slightly as she traced the exposed skin; the adrenaline pumping through her veins at one hundred miles an hour – her brain working overtime to overcome those frustrating nerves; her heart pushing her to continue.

His lips were soothing her anxieties without him even being aware of it. Gabriella could feel his own heart pulsing beneath her hands and that in itself gave her confidence that she could invoke these effects on him. Timidly and as slowly as she could muster, she began to undo each button; one-by-one; her fingertips ghosting over his flesh as she revealed it.

That was when Troy broke the kiss and lowered his eyes to watch her actions. A small flush made its way to the brunette's cheeks as she watched her boyfriend look down at her working fingers and then raise his eyes back up to hers. The confusion on his features, complete with kiss swollen lips and lustful eyes made him look absolutely adorable.

"Um…Gabi…" He breathed, lowering his eyes slightly. She could see the uncertainty lingering in his eyes; knowing that his mind was whirling with questions. Biting her lip intensely, she let her fingers linger at the last button, never taking her eyes away from his. "What are you - ?" Troy cleared his throat. "I mean… Why are you - ?" He faltered again as her hands came up to frame his face, pushing bangs of hair from his forehead as she looked at him innocently.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you bumble when you're nervous?"

"I – I'm not nervous." He cleared his throat again; an obvious blush highlighting his cheeks. "I'm not." His face instinctively leaned towards hers. "I just… I mean – what about…? And then what about the, er, _thing_."

"Thing?" Gabriella smiled, her fingers weaving through his hair as her lips moved closer to his.

"Yes." Troy swallowed, his eyes focused on her mouth; so tantalising and inviting. "The thing. And then… the other thing… after that. And what about…" His words started to fail again as her felt her hands glide down the back of his head, over his neck and back down his chest. He swallowed again. "Your Mom."

With a helpless sigh and a roll of the eyes, Gabriella itched her body a little closer to his; her voice dropping to barely over a whisper as she spoke. "Why the hell do you always look forward instead of right now?"

"Because I'm… stupid?" Troy offered, his hands finding her waist again.

Gabriella looked away from his eyes and smiled a small smile as she unbuttoned the final button and pushed the shirt from his shoulders. "Well, do you want to start being _un_stupid?" She bit her lip when she felt Troy run his hand up her arm, gently pushing the spaghetti strap of her dress away so he could place sweet kisses along her shoulder.

"As long as I know what's going to happen tonight." He placed another kiss at the base of her neck.

Gabriella hooked her arms under his, resting her hands flat against his shoulder blades; coaxing him to look up at her. "Don't you already know?" She kissed him gently, moving herself so she was practically sitting on his lap.

Troy returned the kiss, a small smile creeping on his features. "I do. I think." He paused. "I just need you to tell me. What do you want to happen?"

Pulling her boyfriend as closely as possible, Gabriella put her forehead to his and rubbed their noses together. "I don't want you to stop."

Every second of the events that had occurred earlier that evening lost all meaning and all purpose when Troy finally closed the gap between them and captured her lips in a heated kiss. Gabriella clung to him tightly, her breath catching in her throat as she felt his tongue slowly enter her mouth, seeking out her own to caress. Her arms found their way back around his neck, her fingertips running below the back of his neck before working back up into his hair. The passions running through her were indescribable; the feelings taking over her were breathtaking. The small bout of nerves that had already gathered earlier were slowly disappearing into the back of her mind as she concentrated on his embrace, his kisses… the way he was able to make her whole body shiver with one touch. She could feel his hands moving around carelessly on her back; his own concentration faltering when he had to break the kiss to help him succeed in his task.

"It's at the side." Gabriella whispered, taking his hand in hers and guiding it to her left side where the zipper of her dress was situated. She smiled as she resumed the kiss, feeling his fingers gradually pull down the zip. The embrace broke once again when Troy took a hold of her arms and lifted them in the air. He placed a quick kiss on the tip of her nose as he gathered the bottom of the dress in his hands and lifted it up her body; his hands gliding along her curves as he did so. Once removed, the ruined garment was thrown on the floor forgotten.

Gabriella watched through lowered lashes as Troy ran his thumb over her cheek. The small but angry red mark that had started to appear was an ugly reminder of the dramatic events that had occurred that evening but Gabriella was determined that it wasn't going to be an issue. She held onto his shoulders and pulled him back with her as she lay down on the bed; her head hitting the comfortable pillows at the head of the bed. Troy made sure to land just to her left, not wanting to place his entire weight on her. He kissed her lips before attacking her neck; loving the sounds emitting from her as he suckled and nipped at the base of her neck; his hands wandering aimlessly around her body. He knew he had hit a good part because Gabriella's nails would dig into his skin and when he hit a particularly pleasurable spot, her back would arch off the bed and into his chest; begging for more.

Gabriella closed her eyes in contentment; trying to focus only on Troy and not on those worries that some sort of interruption would indeed take place. It had happened enough times that they were used to it. She was just waiting for either of their cellphones to start ringing or for Chad and Taylor to barge into the bedroom and squeal in horror before telling them to stop because they were being gross. But as Troy's lips finally made their way to her chest, the worries started to fade and her body began to react to the sensations Troy was giving her.

She threaded her fingers into his hair as he kissed a pathway to the outline of her bra, his lips hitting every single part of her skin. Her body tingled when his hand curved around her back, feeling for the bra strap that was causing his kisses to be obstructed. The strap popped open and the article of clothing loosened around her chest. Instinctively, Gabriella lifted her arms and covered her body as Troy removed it completely, allowing it to join the dress and his shirt on the floor. He smiled at her insecurity, taking a hold of her wrists and gently moving them away. She could feel herself blushing, could feel the nerves starting to kick in again. Seeing this in her eyes, Troy entwined their fingers, resting their hands on either side of her head as he pressed his lips to hers again; distracting her modesty by engaging her in a passionate kiss.

"You're gorgeous." He told her, pulling away as she panted beneath him. He kissed her chin, along her collarbone and suddenly felt nervous as he moved down her body. He wanted to satisfy her; wanted to explore and find parts of her body that gave her the most pleasure. He wasn't counting on being with any other girl this way, so he was feeling the pressure of making this special. He felt her shiver when he finally reached his destination, and as he worshipped each of her breasts one by one, her hand made a fist in his hair. As her other hand gripped his shoulder tightly, he knew he was doing something right and her reactions alone were pushing him to the brink.

The new sensations currently cursing through her mind and body where overwhelming; but wonderful none-the-less. Her initial insecurities were slowly leaving her as Troy continued to adore her; his kisses and touches relishing every single part of her. She bit back a giggle when his lips reached her stomach and his fingers caressed her sides, tickling her slightly.

"What?" He lifted his head; breathless and confused. Gabriella just lowered her eyes to look at him, biting her lip softly again as he raised his eyebrows. "It doesn't bode well for me if you start laughing, you know…"

"Oh, Wildcat, you're adorable!" She reached down, placing her hands on his cheeks and gesturing for him to move back up her body. "You just tickled me." She explained as his face hovered over hers; their bare chests pressing against each others.

Troy just let out a sigh, his hand curling around her hip as his thumb caressed her skin. "Are you okay?" He kissed her nose gently before briefly pressing his mouth to hers.

Gabriella nodded, her face suddenly turning serious as she guided his face back to hers, giving him a taste of her own kisses. Troy fell back into it, his hand tightening its grip on her waist; the other reaching to the back of head so he could pull her closer to him. Gabriella glided her fingers along his back, feeling his muscles rippling as their passions grew stronger by the second. When she felt his hand moving at a measured pace from her waist to the top of her panties, she let out a small whimper as he pulled out of the kiss to watch her intently as his fingers disappeared below the garment. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened in a sharp gasp as he finished his destination; his eyes boring into hers as she started to writhe and pant beneath him when he started to rub her tentatively.

She started to lose all control of her body as she thrashed; her head and back arching backwards as Troy quickened his pace, his heart pounding as he watched her reactions in amazement. Gabriella looked at him briefly before her eyes closed tightly and she buried her face into his neck, her moans and groans of bliss echoing a new heavenly harmony into his ear.

She clung onto him tightly and he kissed her shoulder, neck and ear to soothe her as he continued his actions. He felt her shaking become more erratic against him and buried his own face in her neck as he pushed her that little bit further to reaching that point of rapture. Gabriella stilled, her fingernails digging deep into his back before she raked them brutally along his flesh; the effects of her fast-approaching orgasm overwhelming him as she finally let out a long deep groan and fell limp at his side. Troy withdrew his hand, holding her tightly against him as she panted into his neck. Beads of sweat had already started to appear and glisten her body and Troy felt as though he was soaring as he held his girlfriend in his arms.

"Gabi…" He breathed her name, kissing her shoulder and coaxing her face away from his neck. "Do you have anything?"

Gabriella kept closed her eyes and nodded, trying to focus on regaining her breathing to a normal pace. An overpowering empty feeling crushing her as his body moved away from hers. She opened her eyes again and saw him sitting back on his legs, looking down at her affectionately. "In my bag."

"Your bag?" Troy questioned. She knew he hadn't expected her to have any protection and she wanted to laugh at the bewilderment on his face. Again, Gabriella nodded with a small smile.

"Taylor." She mouthed and Troy instantly understood. Though he wasn't too comfortable knowing that Taylor – and now probably Chad – new what they were getting up to that night. More so that they'd known before he had and he'd been getting on with the night's festivities completely clueless. Instead of debating the issue, he looked around the bed and found the bag nearly hanging off the far edge, having been kicked about various times during their make-out session. He gingerly opened the bag and was surprised to find three condom wrappers amongst her purse, house keys and cellphone. Troy turned back around to face his girlfriend when he felt her move. As he turned, he found her sitting up beside him, her eyes lingering over his body as she ran her fingers along his chest, taking in every contour and every muscle visible to her. "Are you done?" She smirked.

Troy just shrugged with a small smirk. "Might be."

Gabriella's arms looped loosely around his neck and she pecked his delectable lips. "Come here then…" She kissed him again, letting her hands run over him again and again; knowing she'd never tire of touching him. Troy tried to push her back against the bed but Gabriella fought back; the corners of her mouth turning into a small smile against his lips as her hands reached his trousers and she quickly unbuttoned them, pulling down the zipper. Troy grunted into her mouth and used all the strength inside of him to push her backwards, lying on top of her as her delicate hands started to push down his trousers and boxer shorts. His fingers hooked into her panties and slowly pulled them down her legs as he took in every inch of her body, still not quite believing how beautiful she was to him. Seeing her gazing up at him with lustful eyes, her chest heaving up and down with her heavy panting and her body screaming out how much she wanted him; Troy felt pleasure rush through his body at hundred miles an hour. His heart was beating furiously against his chest as he ripped open the condom wrapper and allowed her to help him put it on. Troy slowly hovered over her, her legs leisurely separating so she could cradle him; their bodies fitting together perfectly as their last remaining links to childhood started to fade away.

He ran his fingers tenderly through her hair and forced her to look at him when he noticed her shaky breath. "Gabi… tell me to stop if you don't want to carry on. It's okay." Gabriella shook her head furiously in response. "I don't want you to think you have to do this…"

"I want to. I'm fine, Troy." She held him close, rubbing her nose against his.

"But-"

"I love you." Troy opened his mouth to speak but found it was pleasantly occupied when Gabriella forced his lips to hers. He couldn't help his worry; couldn't help that he was scared that he thought Gabriella was only carrying on for his benefit. Her adoring kisses were vastly putting his mind at ease but he felt he had to pull away from her when he started to slowly push into her body. He stared at her face, looking for the signs of discomfort but also trying to keep his own emotions at bay. He could feel himself losing control of his body and he fought to keep it, knowing that if he lost it he wouldn't be able to stop if Gabriella wished him to. She felt so perfect around him; so scorching and tantalising that he was rendered breathless.

He saw her face contort; her eyes clench shut and her mouth open as she let out a small sound of uneasiness. He stopped still, brought back from his own desires as her hips moved slightly to find some relief. Troy touched his forehead to hers, bracing himself on his forearms as he tried to keep himself stationary and not plunge into her like some crazed animal. "You okay?" Troy took in a large gulp of air as Gabriella nodded her head hurriedly. She made tight fists in his hair and moved her hips against his causing him to grunt loudly. He took this as a sign that she wanted him to continue so he pushed in a little more, feeling a strong resistance as he edged further in. This time Gabriella let out a noise of distress and her breathing become more haggard. Troy kissed just below her eyes; dusting his lips over her cheeks and finally her lips as he stopped his movements again to permit her to get used to the feeling. "Relax." He murmured, kissing beneath her jawline affectionately as she rotated her hips, trying to create some sort of movement. Troy opened his mouth to ask her if she was okay but failed to do so when her eyes suddenly snapped open and her legs wound around his, finally pushing him in all the way.

After what seemed like an eternity, Troy finally started to move inside of her; both of them creating a slow rhythm that gradually began to grow in pace when they were encouraged by each other's moans. Passions erupted violently and Troy buried his face into her hair as they experienced new heights of pleasure; feelings of love bursting at the seams as they held each other with all the adoration in the world. "I love you…" He grunted into her neck and Gabriella moaned her reply, her lips making contact with his ear lobe and neck. Her hands gripped his back, her nails scraping down his back causing him to buck his hips harder against hers. Troy sucked in oxygen through his teeth, the pain in his back so unbearable and yet so pleasurable. He lifted his face from her neck and put his forehead against hers, opening his eyes to find that she was already looking at him – a perfect mixture of lust and love lingering in her chocolate brown eyes. "Gabi…" He breathed her name again and again as he moved inside of her. He wanted to explode when she uttered his name ecstatically over and over; her head tilting back but her eyes remaining focused on his as they both started to reach their peak.

Gabriella brushed back those large bangs of hair that were stuck to his forehead and kissed him again. "Don't stop…" she begged. And he didn't. He savagely took her lips and fervently kissed her as they tipped over the edge… their body's rippling out of control as their synchronized orgasms took over. Their cries of pleasure filled the room until finally Troy collapsed on top of her breathless body, never wanting to let go.

"Love. You." Troy heard her gasp her affection beneath him and his heart swelled upon hearing it. He tried to speak but Gabriella Montez had actually rendered him speechless.

**A/N: So, yeah… 'Without Love' … Holly instead of Tracy … yeah? **


	27. Walking On Sunshine

**A/N: Haha, you guys are easy to bribe; "Holly, I'll be yours forever coz I never wanna be… without love…oh, Holly, never set me free!" – Haha classic; yet so fantabulous!**

**Okay, so new chapter. Sorry, it's taken a while – I've been busy finding out if I shook it, I could shake up a man … So I started shaking and shimmying to the best that I can TOOOODAAAAAAY! **

**Because, you know; you can't stop the motion of the ocean or the sun in the sky…**

**And you can wonder if you wanna but I'll never ask why…**

**And you can try to hold me down, I'm gonna spit in your eye and say…**

**Okay, I may be going a little off topic here. Is it totally obvious I've been watching 'Hairspray'? Yes? No? Is it totally sad I know all the words to 'You Can't Stop The Beat'? Probably. But what-the-hey! It rules!**

**Where was I? Oh yeah! Chapter time!**

**Enjoy! Boomshakalaka! Xx Holly xX Mwah!**

**TWENTY-SEVEN – Walkin' On Sunshine**

Gabriella slowly opened her eyes and instantly squinted them shut again as the bright sun blurred her vision. She sighed contentedly as she adjusted to the light and snuggled deeper into Troy's embrace – if that was even possible. She could barely move – her head was resting on his bicep; his arm wrapped around her chest, whilst the other was enveloping around her stomach. Her fingers were laced with his; his face buried in her hair as he spooned her. She could have stayed like that forever but that frustrating need to go to the bathroom was not helping the matter.

Turning her head slightly to gaze at her sleeping boyfriend, Gabriella smiled and placed soft kisses over his face; careful not to wake him. Troy stirred in his sleep but thankfully did not wake up as Gabriella attempted to pry his arms away from her. It wasn't easy since she'd been trapped in them all night – not that she was complaining. She slipped from the bed and quietly placed her feet on the carpet, making her way through the mass of scattered clothes to her closet. Choosing a small black pair of boy-shorts and a purple spaghetti-strapped top, she glanced quickly into her mirror and frowned as she inspected the tiny red mark sitting angrily on her cheekbone. It didn't look as bad as she was expecting it to, but it certainly was noticeable. Gabriella only hoped that Jess' looked far worse as she remembered she really needed to thank Sharpay.

She turned back and smiled when Troy snuggled deeper into the blankets. Knowing the heavy sleeper that he was, there was a very slim chance he'd be awake by noon and her stomach was growling. She briefly contemplated the highly romantic (so they say) breakfast-in-bed routine but remembering how grouchy he was in the mornings, she soon decided against it. She placed her hair up into an untidy bun before retrieving her cellphone and as quietly as possible, she opened her bedroom door and tip-toed down the stairs. She smiled as she checked the two unread messages from Taylor. She messaged back her simple reply with a smirk, just wanting to see the look on her best friend's face as she read it. Entering the kitchen, she turned on the radio at a low volume and rummaged through the cupboards for some cereal.

Gabriella's smile widened more when her cellphone started to ring and she didn't even have to guess who it would be – nor did she have to look at the front of the screen before she answered it.

"Hey, Tay." She rolled her eyes as she reached up for a bowl.

"_Okay."_ Taylor's amused tone sang through. _"Please tell me before we start this little discussion if you're going to try and play with my head here. Tell me if you're thinking of answering the next few questions with 'maybe' or 'might have'."_

Gabriella just giggled, knowing how frustrated Taylor got if she couldn't have her gossip. "I haven't decided yet, Tay. Not had much time to think about it."

"_Ah! So obviously your mind is still fixated on last night. Which means something happened that was worth fixating on. Am I right?"_

"Er…" Gabriella chuckled again. "Might have."

"_Oh, you're mean!" _Gabriella could feel Taylor's eyes rolling. _"Come on; this is your best friend you're speaking to here. I told you about my first time with Chad! And if you're worried he's listening in, then don't. It's nine-o'clock in the morning – do you really think he'd be awake at this time on a Saturday morning?"_

"No, guess not." Gabriella pulled out some cereal and retrieved the milk from the refrigerator.

"_So…" _She pressed. _"Where is the wonderful Troy?"_

"Asleep."

"_In your bed?"_

"No; in the garage." Gabriella tutted. "Where the hell do you think?"

"_Well if you want me to just come out and say 'hey, Gabs; how was the sex last night? Good? Bad? Average?' then just tell me! Because to be frank, I'd rather just skip to that part instead of the small talk."_

"How do you even know we had sex?" Gabriella teased, taking a spoon-full of Sugar Puffs.

"_Because I can feel you smiling down the phone." _Taylor replied confidently. _"So don't you dare tell me you didn't because I won't believe you."_

"Then why are you even asking in the first place?"

"_Because I want to hear you say it."_

"It."

"_You're funny." _Taylor scoffed, causing Gabriella to laugh out loud, nearly spitting out her cereal as she did so. _"I'll make you talk sooner or later, Montez; I promise. When you and Troy have finally untangled yourselves from one another, are you coming over to Chad's?"_

"Why? So you both can interrogate us?"

"_No." _A pause. _"Well, yes. But not just for that reason. Zeke, Jason, Martha and Kelsi will be there too. They want to see you after they heard about you and Jess last night. I don't know if Ryan's coming yet… or Sharpay for that matter. But everyone else really wants to see you."_

"I'm sure we'll be there, Tay." Gabriella looked up, jumping slightly as the sound of her house phone ringing filled the room. "I gotta go… phone's ringing."

"_Fine, fine. But I still want details, Montez; and I shall not rest until I get them!"_

"Whatever!" Gabriella laughed. "See you later." She hastily put down her cell and ran into the other room to retrieve her house phone. Out of breath and wondering if the entire state of New Mexico knew about her and Troy, she picked up the phone and huffed a barely coherent "hello" into the receiver.

"_Hey, Honey." _Her mother's amused voice filled her ears and Gabriella felt herself panic slightly before she remembered her Mom was in New York and couldn't kill her from that distance.

"Oh…um…Mom… Hi!" Gabriella could feel Maria frowning and she pulled a face whilst inwardly cursing herself for her very bad lying techniques.

"_Gabriella… you okay?"_

"Oh, yeah; sure am!" Her up-beat tone was doing nothing to help the matter. "I just…woke up, that's all. Had to run downstairs to answer the phone."

"_Then why didn't you answer the house phone that's been sitting in your bedroom since we moved in?"_

Gabriella paused again and could only think about what Troy had said to her the night before. "Because I'm… stupid?" She offered. Thankfully, Maria started laughing at her daughter's comment.

"_Or maybe because your mother didn't realise the time difference! I'm sorry I woke you up, Sweetie. Did you have a good night last night?"_

"Um, yeah; was fantastic." The smile creeped back up onto her face as she leaned back against the counter.

"_Did Troy enjoy himself?"_

_I hope so… _"Um, yeah." _She's talking about the dance, Gabriella! _She scolded herself. "We all had a great time. Was a bit cheesy and Darbus was on the warpath most of the night. But apart from that, it was okay."

"_Just okay?" _Maria pressed. _"That's the second dance you've attended at East High. I thought you'd be a little more enthusiastic about it since you've never attended any other school long enough to go to a dance."_

"It was eventful, Mom; I'll say that much." Gabriella cut off when she felt two arms circle her waist from behind. She grinned and leaned back against her boyfriend who then proceeded in placing light kisses along her shoulder and neck.

"_Eventful?"_ Oblivious to the current goings-on in her household, Maria pressed the matter. _"What happened?"_

Gabriella tilted her head and allowed Troy to kiss her briefly; hoping her Mom hadn't heard. "Oh, nothing to worry about, Mom; really." She bit her lip when Troy moved back to her neck; his fingers disappearing up her top to caress her stomach.

"_Really?" _Maria did not sound convinced. _"I want to know. Whether it's nothing to worry about or not; I want to know."_

Gabriella tried to suppress a moan as Troy's kisses moved to the side of her face and earlobe. "Don't worry, Mom; you'll know soon enough." She could just picture what Maria's face would be like upon noticing the mark on her cheek but didn't want to think about that until it was absolutely necessary. Maria started to talk again; something along the lines of peer pressure – but Gabriella wasn't listening. She lifted her free arm and wound it around Troy's neck as he continued to lavish her with soft kisses. She pressed herself back against him; her Mom's words just a small echo in the background.

"_Gabriella? Gabriella? Are you there? Can you hear me? Gabriella!"_

Gabriella jumped and pressed the phone back to her ear; her breath catching in her throat. "Yeah…sorry, Mom. Just watching something on the television…" As Troy started to chuckle behind her, Gabriella elbowed him in the ribs, causing him to flinch back and rub the sore spot with a pout.

"_What is going on over there?" _Maria huffed. _"Are you okay?"_

"I'm fine, Mom; really, I am. I was just distracted by the television, that's all."

"_I can't hear the television."_

"It's on really low." Gabriella closed her eyes and took a small sigh. She hated lying to her Mom, and she knew she was generally a bad liar. It never took Troy long to see right through her – in fact he could tell pretty much straight away. Maria answered with a small, short noise and Gabriella knew there would be questions when she got home tomorrow. When she felt Troy come up behind her again, she elbowed him as a gesture to back off, but in her brief panic, she didn't realise how hard she had hit him until he let out a loud groan.

"_Who was that?" _Maria was instantly back on the case. Gabriella spun round the face her boyfriend, who had clamped a hand over his mouth with wide eyes – his hand still rubbing the spot on his torso where she had elbowed him.

"Er…television." Gabriella clenched her teeth in Troy's direction – her glare letting him know she was going to kill him.

"_Are you sure?" _Gabriella was almost certain her mother had installed secret cameras in the house – she was certain that her Mom was monitoring her every move and that she could see Troy standing in her kitchen… in his boxers. Gabriella's mouth opened wide in shock before she convinced herself she was being stupid.

"Positive." She laughed it off. "Come on, what else could it have possibly been?" Troy shot her a look of disbelief and Gabriella instantly regretted saying it. She lightly slapped her hand over her forehead, cursing herself inwardly for such a stupid remark.

"_Hmm." _Was Maria's only reply. There was a long pause. _"Well, Honey; my lunch break's almost over. I better be getting back. I'll see you tomorrow evening…unless you're lying to me when you're telling me everything's okay."_

"Everything's fine, Mom. I promise, okay? I'll see you tomorrow night."

"_Okay, Sweetie." _Maria Montez was still not convinced. _"Love you."_

"Love you too, Mom." Troy watched as Gabriella hung up the phone and backed off slightly when she turned back to face him fire in her eyes. "You idiot!" She lashed at him, picking up a magazine from the table and rolling it up to use as a weapon. "She heard you!"

Troy dodged his girlfriend, raising his hands in defence. "Hey!" He called out as Gabriella held the rolled-up magazine in warning. "You're the one who hit me! I'm the innocent party here!"

"Yeah, well, _you're_ the one who started with all the kissing. You totally put me off and made my Mom suspicious. When she kills me tomorrow, I'm coming back to haunt you!" Gabriella had to laugh at how scared he looked. Troy had backed away to the other side of the kitchen, his hands still held up as his girlfriend continued to hold the magazine aloft.

"She's not going to kill you, Gabi." He rolled his eyes but kept focus on her movements. "She totally bought your story."

Gabriella placed the magazine back on the counter and put a hand to her hip. "You are such a liar, Bolton."

Troy broke into a wide grin and stepped towards her. "I know. Your story was lame and you can't lie to save your life. See you in the next life." Gabriella laughed out loud in mock insult, flinging herself at him and falling into his embrace. Troy chuckled as he caught her, holding her waist tight to ensure she wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.

Gabriella straightened herself up, her hands clutching his shoulders as she stared deep into those pools of blue. "Prepare to be haunted, Bolton. I'm going to hide all of your trophies and replace all your underwear with girly stuff. I'm going to throw out your basketball jerseys and mess your room up – even more than it is now! And don't even _think_ about getting a new girlfriend when I'm gone because I'll totally make her life hell."

Troy raised an eyebrow in amusement; the corners of his lips turning up into a wide smile. She was just too damn adorable. When he had finally woken up alone in her bed, his first worry was that Gabriella was panicking somewhere downstairs; regretting everything that had happened between them the night before. To him, it had been perfect; almost _too_ perfect – too perfect for everything to run smoothly, in any case. Troy had always found himself in certain situations where things had just been going too well for him and then something else would just pop up out of nowhere and kick him to the ground. The most infamous situation, of course, had taken place at the Lava Springs Country Club.

But as soon as he had walked down stairs and saw her leaning against the kitchen counter whilst talking on the phone; his brief insecurities had disappeared. He had smiled widely as he snuck up behind her and as he hugged her to him he had felt nothing but complete love and adoration.

"Getting a new girlfriend?" Troy smirked when Gabriella shot him a glare as he put on his best thinking face. Instead of coming up with a sarcastic comment to seriously drive her mad, Troy just pulled her closer to him as he kissed her forehead. "Sorry, Montez." He chuckled as he felt her breathe a sigh of relief. "You're stuck with me for life. Or in this case, I'll just have to pine after your spirit as you haunt me." Gabriella laughed against him, leaning her head back so she could place a lingering kiss on his lips.

"This isn't awkward." She commented as she pulled away, gazing straight at him as her arms found their way around his waist; her fingertips grazing the edge of his boxers.

"No…"

"Should it be?"

Troy just smiled and shook his head. "I guess generally for some people, the morning after should be awkward. But we're not some people, are we?" Gabriella smiled again and pressed her mouth back to his. She squealed in surprise and laughter when Troy leaned down to grasp a hold of the back of her thighs; pulling her up so her legs could loosely wrap around his waist. "Get here!" He tried to muffle her laughter to no avail by kissing her again. "Montez!" Troy pretended to groan when Gabriella's laughter would not subside. When _'Walking On Sunshine' _by Katrina and the Waves blasted out of the radio, he proceeded in spinning Gabriella around in his arms, his own laughter coming out as she latched onto his neck and waist tighter and screamed her delight.

"Troy, stop!" Gabriella called, trying to sound serious but failing as her laughter took over again as Troy spun her around again and again, picking up speed with each turn. She could feel her legs slipping from his waist to his thighs and if not for his hands cradling her backside she would fall to the floor. "Troy!" She chuckled again; her arms tightening around his neck. "I'm gonna be sick if you don't stop!"

"Woah, woah!" Troy abruptly stopped his spinning; picturing Gabriella vomiting on him and not liking what he saw. He manoeuvred her slightly in his grasp so he had a better hold on her before placing her gently on top of the counter. Troy moved in between her legs and held her waist gently as he brought her face down to his for another tender kiss. Gabriella responded with a passion; her arms clinging onto him as though he were a lifeline. They both smiled into the kiss and chuckled when the expression was making the action difficult. Gabriella felt giddy; felt like some cheesy heroine in a cheesy romance film – felt blissful when she knew that everything she could ever want in the whole world was standing in front of her, embracing her, kissing her and loving her.

And then Troy's cellphone went off. The blasting-out ringtone making the couple jump and fall out of each others arms. Troy let out a groan and glared at his girlfriend. "Seriously?" He called out in disbelief, staring at the vibrating phone. Gabriella rolled her eyes with a knowing smile and gestured for him to answer it. Troy picked up the phone and smirked when the all too familiar name appeared on the main screen.

"Hi, Chad." He answered flippantly, positioning himself back between Gabriella's legs and allowing her to let her head fall to his shoulder.

"_Dude! Oh, cool; you're awake! Listen, I want details… You and Gabs – you totally did it, didn't you?! Oh my god, you have _got_ to tell me everything! Like-"_

"Bye, Chad." Troy flipped his phone shut and Gabriella giggled, having heard what Chad had to say before he was rudely cut off. Troy joined in with her, until the phone started to ring again. He sighed. "Hi, Chad."

"_Dude, how rude are you?! I am your most loyal best friend and you just hang up on me when-"_

"Bye, Chad." The phone closed again and Troy chuckled, picturing Chad's reaction. Gabriella slapped a hand to her forehead when another impending kiss was interrupted by Troy's phone again. "Hi, Chad."

"_You sicken me!"_

"Bye, Chad." Troy couldn't help but laugh out loud before closing the phone again. He swiftly turned it off and placed it back on the counter; his arms soon winding themselves back around Gabriella's waist as he pulled her hips closer to his.

"You know," she grinned, placing her forehead to his. "Chad and Taylor want us to go straight to Chad's place to hang out."

"Yes, well." Troy bent his head and began to place soft kisses along Gabriella's collarbone. "They're not going to get details out of me so easily."

"So, we're going?" Gabriella bit her lip as he hit a particularly pleasurable spot at the base of her neck; his fingers threading through his hair.

"Hmm." Troy continued to kiss alone her jawline before capturing her lips again. With a quick and sly grin, he scooped his hands under her thighs and pulled her off the counter and back into his arms. "Later?" He smiled. "What do you think?"

Gabriella just grinned back, answering him with a zealous kiss as she felt him walking them towards the kitchen door. When her cellphone started to ring annoyingly loud, the couple broke away and looked back at it in frustration. "Ignore it." Gabriella cupped Troy's cheek, guiding his lips back to hers. Troy smiled into the kiss as sparks flew between them. They clung onto each other tightly as Troy carried her through the hallway and towards the stairs; their passionate embrace breaking when they collided into the wall and various pieces of furniture. Laughing uncontrollably, they tried to resume their kiss as they made their way back up the stairs and towards Gabriella's bedroom; where their morning adoring activities would indeed be taking place.


	28. Debating With The Dudes

**A/N: Okay, I have just found out **_**the**_** most horrific thing in like…**_**ever**_

**Brace yourselves. It's wise to take a seat here…**

**Sitting down? Braced? Good. Here it is.**

**Santa. Doesn't. Exist.**

**I know! **_**Horrific**_** isn't it? I caught my mum taking presents downstairs an hour ago – actually, I heard her falling down the stairs with the presents an hour ago and I **_**caught**_** her red handed.**

**My life no longer makes sense. At least we've still got the Easter Bunny and the Toothfairy, ay?**

…**Nah, I'm totally joking! Though that scenario **_**did**_** happen when I was nine-years-old and mum screamed when she fell down the stairs with the presents. I ran out of my bedroom and screamed… My Christmas illusion was shattered in seconds…**

**Anyhoo… you'd think I'd have some Christmas-based Troyella-under-the-mistletoe fluff for you since its Christmas Eve. Sorry, I don't – that would totally destroy the timeline with this fic since it's only the beginning of October now (in the fic…I do own a calendar!). Enjoy people's! **

**Hope you all have a great Christmas!**

…**I hope Santa remembers my Zac Efron wrapped in a red ribbon… and my brand new bike :P **

"_**Have yourself a merry little Christmas…" **_**etc. etc. **

**xx Mwah xx Holly (see, even my name is Christmassy! Now, that's service for you!)**

**TWENTY-EIGHT – Debating With The Dudes**

"Dude, did he get laid?"

"Dude, of course he did."

"Nah, I can't tell…"

"He must have got laid."

"How can you tell?"

"He's got that 'I've-just-got-laid' look about him."

"No…I'm not so sure…"

"That because you suck, Cross."

Chad ignored Zeke and Jason's unnecessary argument and watched as Gabriella and Troy walked hand-in-hand into his back garden, greeting his parents and waving their hello's to Kelsi, Martha and Taylor who were sitting on the patio. He grinned when Taylor squealed and pulled Gabriella down to sit with them, leaving Troy standing over them looking uncomfortable. Chad passed the basketball to Jason and placed two fingers in his mouth and whistled. "Bolton! Fancy a game of two-on-two?"

Troy smiled as he looked over in their direction before sprinting over to the half court that was situated in the centre of the back garden in front of the treehouse. Troy knew what was coming but thankfully he had already prepared himself on the journey over.

"So?"

"So?"

Troy laughed at Jason and Zeke and shook his head. Chad glared in his direction, his arms folded over his chest. "So?" He added knowingly.

Troy shrugged and gestured for Jason to hand over the ball. "So, what?"

Chad let out a laugh of disbelief and turned to his other friends who wore similar expressions. "What do you mean _'so what'_? Spill. Details. Now." When Troy shook his head slowly with a smile – and a slight blush on his cheeks – Chad took pity on his friend and turned to look at the girls who looked to be trying to get the same information from Gabriella with no luck. "Seriously, though. Is she okay after last night?"

Troy gave a grateful smile. "Yeah; I guess she's okay. I mean, we talked about it and her dress is practically ruined and she's got a mark on her cheek but other than that…" He drifted off.

Zeke shook his head in disgust. "That Jess needs knocking into outer space. Just where did she think she was getting off doing that to Gabs?"

"Yeah, what happened?" Chad watched as Troy dribbled the ball uncomfortably for a few seconds before lifting his head and answering.

"Gabi refused to break up with me when Jess taunted her. So Jess hit her."

"Just like that?"

Troy nodded slowly and Chad could see he was still worrying about it. "And who've thought Super Sharpay would have saved the day, huh? I mean, when I saw Gabs, I was positive it had something to do with the Ice Queen."

"I know." Troy smirked when he saw the dazed look in Zeke's eyes. "And why have you suddenly entered Dream Land, Baylor?"

At that question, both Chad and Jason lit up with knowing grins. "Zeke totally found a way into the Ice Queen's heart last night." Jason winked jokingly and Troy raised an eyebrow.

"Guys, come on." Zeke put on a serious expression. "Her name is Sharpay. Don't you think the whole 'Ice Queen' phase has passed?"

Chad and Jason let out an amused huff and Troy looked even more confused than before. "What happened, man?" Troy asked, offering his friend a sympathetic smile.

"We danced. We talked. I got her number and we have a date next week." Troy reached over and patted his friends back – still not completely understanding the infatuation with Sharpay – though he was happy for him all the same.

"Well…good luck, man!" Was all Troy could think of to say. "Seriously, I'm glad you finally did it – and you managed to live through it in the process. Just let us know how this infamous date goes, won't you?"

Zeke's dreamy smile suddenly turned humourous. "Oh yeah, and what about you?" He folded his arms as Chad and Jason strode up beside him. "You still haven't solved our argument."

"Which was?" Troy tucked the basketball under his arm and knew where his friends where instantly heading.

"Whether you and Gabriella hopped on the good foot and did the bad thing or not. Now, these guys reckon you did, but I'm not so sure." Jason scratched his chin in thought as he observed his friend and captain closer. "I mean, you do look slightly different…"

"Yeah. Definitely." Chad agreed, scratching his own chin. "And you're acting different; first of all, you're getting ruder."

"Ruder?"

"Hanging up on me various times this morning. And then you wouldn't answer your phones at all! What the hell where you doing?!"

Zeke nudged Chad gently with his elbow. "Dude, what do _you_ think they were doing?" Chad's offended face disappeared and a grin emerged. Troy backed away, feeling himself flush as his best friend stepped closer towards him; a chuckle escaping his lips.

"Very good point, Zeke. _Very_ good point. Are you going to deny it, Bolton?" Troy just smiled and aimed the ball at the net. The basketball swished smoothly through the hoop and Chad caught it as it bounced back. "I take that as a no."

Troy snatched the ball back from his friend's grasp. "You can take it as any answer you want, Danforth. My lips are sealed."

Jason narrowed his eyes in frustration. "Are you like… some sort of _woman_ now, Troy? Men always broadcast things that happen with girls."

"And you shouldn't feel guilty about it since we found out that _all_ girls talk." Chad added with a knowing glare towards the girls who were giggling at something in the distance. "What if Gabs is already telling Kelsi, Martha and Taylor _everything_ that happened between you last night? We're totally missing out and you've known us longer than Gabs has known them. We've stuck by you through thick and thin; win or lose. I think some sort of reward should happen."

Troy raised a bemused eyebrow. "Gabi can tell them whatever she wants. And I think _I_ should get some sort of reward on this selfish friendship we seem to have going on now."

"Oh, come on!" Chad scoffed. "Gabriella discussing details is far worse than you telling us stuff! Taylor told me what they all say about us and it's not pretty." Zeke and Jason leaned in intently and curiously. "Just imagine what they're probably saying about us in that department."

"Oh my god; yes." Realisation dawned on Zeke Baylor's face. "I walked in on some girl-talk between my sister and my cousin. They talked about _everything_. And I mean _everything. _With a capital 'E'. They were describing who made the first move, _how_ they made the first move… How their boyfriends kissed them… _Foreplay_…"

The expression on Chad's face showed that even he had not thought girls would go that far. Troy's face mirrored is own and he tried to hide his sudden fright and embarrassment by dribbling the ball absentmindedly at his feet.

"They talk about that?" Jason backed away. "Oh my god… what did men ever do to deserve _that_?"

Zeke nodded quickly. "Uh huh. They even discuss moves and lengths."

"_Lengths?_" Chad shot Troy a horrific expression and Troy quickly looked in Gabriella's direction to try and work out what they were talking about. Currently, Gabriella was laughing… _is that a good sign or a bad?_ "I can't believe we've left them all alone! The things they could be _describing_ here!" Chad turned to look over at Taylor. "Taylor!" Taylor stopped laughing and looked up to her boyfriend with a quizzical expression. "Come here! Bring Gabster with you too!"

The boys saw Taylor roll her eyes dramatically and in the next few seconds all four girls stood up and with confused appearances, they made their way towards the small basketball court. "Please tell us you managed to get something out of Troy." Taylor let out a loud sigh as they came to a stop.

"That depends…" Chad trailed off suspiciously. "What did you get out of Gabriella?"

"Absolutely zilch." Martha answered. Chad and Troy both let out sighs of relief; knowing that they had successfully diverted away from the highly-embarrassing-girl-talk scenario – for now. "She's not even giving us any hints, no clues, nothing." Taylor pulled a face when Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy's waist and cheekily poked her tongue out to her frustrated friends. "It's a known rule that girls tell each other everything."

"Not necessarily." Chad lifted his index finger to further prove his point. "And you know, we haven't had a thing out of Troy either. Which, to be honest, isn't the _end of the world_ is it? You know, I've had this strange, yet incisive epiphany. I think we should bend the rules of society again; we should _never_ discuss private areas of any relationship… and furthermore, we should _never ever, ever _discuss specific things. Like moves… and lengths…"

All four girls simultaneously raised their eyebrows. "What the hell has gotten into you, Danforth?" Taylor asked slowly; wondering if a Chad look-a-like had kidnapped her real boyfriend. "If that is your real name."

"It's a trick." Gabriella concluded. "He knows that we won't say anything if they're absolutely desperate to know. If they just pretend they don't want to know, they think we'll say something." Troy let out a chuckle, knowing that wasn't the reason for Chad's epiphany.

Chad looked like he was deep in thought. "Damn it, Gabriella Montez – that plan isn't half bad!" He turned to his other friends. "Why the hell didn't we think of that?"

Taylor just folded her arms and kept her gaze on the loved-up couple standing before her. "Come on, guys; we know you did something last night! Why can't you just say it?"

"It." Troy and Gabriella responded with a shrug; their answer so obviously annoying their friends.

"Ha-fuckedy-ha!" Taylor's hands flew to her hips. "It's so obvious you did!"

"And why's that?" Troy pressed with a smirk. "Please share."

"Well, for a start you both look like you've slept with coat hangers in your mouths!"

"And Troy has sex hair." Jason added.

"Jase, my hair has always looked like this." Troy started smoothing his hair down; paranoid that it looked like he'd just got out of bed – when it was considerably messier than usual.

"Well." Jason shrugged and turned his gaze to Gabriella as he lifted his arm to point at her accusingly. "Gabriella's glowing."

"Dude, she's not pregnant." Zeke gave Jason a small nudge before casting his eyes quickly back to the brunette. "…Are you?"

"No!" Gabriella shot back, a small blush highlighting her cheeks.

"Because you used a condom, right?" Martha pushed the issue; unable to hide a grin.

Gabriella briefly looked up at Troy who shot her a 'don't-get-me-involved' glance in response. "Well… we… um… No?"

Taylor stepped forward again. "Right. So if you didn't have sex and you didn't use a condom; that means I should officially have them back. I gave them to you to help you out for last night but since you've so very rudely refused to use them, I should have them back."

"Taylor, you gave them condoms from our special stash?" Chad exclaimed. "Hand them over, Bolton!"

"We…er… left them at home."

"Ugh!" Taylor stamped her foot on the ground in complete annoyance. A part of her was upset that her best friend felt she couldn't share her first experience with her boyfriend – after all, Gabriella was the first to know about her and Chad. It wasn't like she was being nosey – well, she was… a little – she just wanted that special girl talk moment that only close friends could really share. "I totally give up on you – you're both so… so…" She struggled for find the words as she pointed at Troy and Gabriella menacingly. "Stubborn!"

"And they're going to remain stubborn for quite some time." Kelsi finally piped up. "We all knew they wouldn't say anything and we weren't disappointed there. I say we go and get pizza; I'm starving."

Zeke nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yeah. First pizza. Then more interrogation. We just got to work this at a different angle, guys."

"Troy won't budge." Jason scoffed. "I'm never telling him anything ever again – and I don't care how superior he is."

"Come on; let's get pizza." Taylor shot Gabriella an evil glare. "I need it to relieve the pain and stress of having a best friend who won't even confide in me!"

Gabriella walked out of Troy's arms and jogged after Taylor who was stomping towards the house with Martha, Kelsi, Zeke and Jason. "Oh, come on, Tay." She chuckled as Taylor brushed her away again. "Now you're just being stubborn…"

Chad and Troy lingered behind, taking small steps as they too began to walk back to the house. Chad nudged Troy lightly with his elbow, a small smile on his face. "Come on, Troy. I am your most loyal best friend – no, not just that – your brother! It's my job to know these things."

Troy laughed heartily at his friend and kept his eyes on Gabriella's retreating back. "I'll say this, Chad." He smiled. "I'm going to marry that girl."

"What? Now?!"

"No, not now; and keep your voice down!" He swatted his friend's arm. "When we finish college, maybe. Or I could propose when we, you know, start our final year at college and then as soon as we graduate, we can…maybe…" He drifted off, embarrassed to high-heaven when Chad shot him a glare of disbelief. "What?"

"Oh, nothing." Chad's expression stayed the same but his tone was deadpanned. "My seventeen-year-old best friend is just talking about _marriage_ before we've even graduated high school."

Troy rolled his eyes. "I'm not talking about marriage – it's not like I've picked out the table settings or anything!"

"But if you had, I'd be your best man, right?"

"Chad."

"Right?" Chad's voice went higher and Troy desperately gestured for him to keep it down. "Because if you choose Zeke or Jason, I will seriously kick your ass. And then I'll woo Gabriella into started some sort of threesome with me and Taylor."

"You want me to kick your ass now?" Troy offered and Chad clamped his mouth shut. Letting out a loud, drawn-out sigh, Troy continued. "Look, it's not like I've gone into great detail about it all. Jeez, we're only seventeen and we've only been together near-enough ten months. What's wrong with just knowing that I want to be with her for the rest of my life?"

Chad just shrugged and Troy could see his own mind working. "Nothing, I guess. It's just a bit… freaky. I'm scared about going to college – I'm scared about this game that's coming up, come to mind! And here you are, looking light-years into the future…talking about marriage!"

"I'm not!"

"Bolton, you totally are! If you start telling me you want to spend the rest of your life with Gabs and then start going on about proposals and when you think the right time is to get married… _that's_ when you're talking about marriage!" Chad paused as Troy sighed again and ran a hand through his hair. "You totally got lad last night, Bolton. You're more soppy and nauseating than usual!"


	29. This'a Time'a It's a Personal

**A/N: Hey y'all! Hope everyone had a fantabulous and boomshakalaka-filled Christmas! I'm pretty angry I didn't receive my Zac Efron wrapped in a red ribbon – complete with a change of clothes – I mean, I was a good girl all year… and I promised my Mum I'd feed him and look after him and take him to the doctor's when he got ill… I shall be having very harsh words with Santa Clause. **

**To answer one question I received recently – yes, I support Zanessa. I love Zanessa. So unbelievably cute and sweet that it's… totally not fair! I don't get why there's people out there who don't think that way – I mean, why call Vanessa Hudgens for having the same taste in men as you? Duh. Anybody who so mentions the term "Zashley" will officially go on my enemy list. Period. Get. Over. It. It ain't gonna happen. **

**Mad Rant now officially over.**

**New Years celebrations beginning – Woohoo!**

**Hope you all have a great New Year full of drinking and dancing and out-of-tune singing and what-not. Surely that's how I'll be celebrating this fine evening. See you next year – haha see what I did? See what I did? Heh. Heh. I'm hilarious… Ahem.**

**Much love and thanks again to everyone who's reviewed – my god the speed that you review is weirdly wonderful! lol Love. It. You all kick ass!**

…**Oh, and I'm currently working on a Zanessa one-shot; so please keep a look out for it… **

**Enjoy the New Year, Peeps. Mwah! Mwah! Mwah! Here's a random and weird chapter for you all to feast upon…**

**Don't ask me what it was that ate before writing this… I have no idea where the idea came from…**

**Holly-Wolly-Polly-Dolly-Doodle-All-The-Day xxx**

**TWENTY-NINE – Mission: Impossible – This'a Time'a It's a Personal**

"Dude, it's like… books."

"I know."

"No, but, Dude; it's like… reading."

"I know."

"No, Dude-"

"Chad, do you have any point to this?" Troy sighed and gently hit the back of his head against the wall he was leaning on. After devouring two large pizzas between the eight of them, the girls had practically begged the boys to let them shop for another hour – something which Troy and Chad relented without much persuasion. Upon which, Zeke and Jason came to the conclusion that they gave a whole new meaning to the word 'whipped' when Gabriella and Taylor dragged their respective partners into various clothes stores. Kelsi and Martha had deserted them not long after they had left the pizza place; stating they were meeting Ryan to do some last minute checks with the script. As much as Gabriella and Taylor had wanted to join them, Troy had wittingly pointed out a sale at Gabriella's favourite bookstore – hereby safely diverting another jealousy-fuelled afternoon.

It seemed as though hours had passed since Gabriella and Taylor had giddily skipped into the store, leaving Troy, Chad, Jason and Zeke waiting for them outside, vastly feeling the devastating effects of boredom. After continually checking his watch, Troy had sighed aloud; prompting Chad to start rambling on about books and how pointless they were.

"They're just…paper… moulded together… with words. And she just _loves_ them…" Troy, Zeke and Jason had unknowingly switched off in the midst of Chad's rant. "And it's like… _reading_!"

"Your intelligence astounds me." Zeke commented, rolling his eyes as he tucked into a hog dog smothered in so much mustard it was barely recognisable. "You chose to date a bookworm. You must deal with the consequences."

Consequences? Troy's mind drifted off as Chad pulled a disgusted look in Zeke's direction before continuing to work out just why his girlfriend loved reading so much. Troy didn't really think Gabriella's reading habits were a consequence in any sense; in fact he found it totally adorable. The reason for thinking that way? He had absolutely no idea. Because like Chad, Troy didn't really see the appeal. He had no idea why Gabriella would read 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'Pride and Prejudice' over and over again – especially when there was a film you could watch instead. He couldn't see how Gabriella could read page-after-page, chapter-after-chapter without dying of complete boredom. It was just one of those things in life that he could never comprehend – so it was some sort of godsend when he and Gabriella were put together in English class. Troy couldn't work out just why English Literature was so frustratingly boring when Mrs Jennings was teaching the class; and why it suddenly became so fascinating when Gabriella was trying to explain the assignment to him.

Maybe it was just because she looked so cute when she was concentrating. Troy knew he could sit for hours and watch her read; purely because he could chuckle silently to himself when Gabriella's eyebrows would knit together before her eyes would widen and her lips would part – that just meant she was reading about something exciting. Or when she would try and explain to him just why it was so exciting – her rambling in high tones just made him melt.

Or maybe Chad was right when he said he was turning into a woman.

"You read 'The Beano'." Jason's response brought Troy out of his trance.

"That's different." Chad shot back. "Dennis the Menace is way cooler than Frodo Baggins."

"Dennis the Menace isn't a part of literacy art." Troy paused when his friends all shot him a bewildered glance. "…Gabriella said." He added quickly.

"You disgust me, Bolton. I don't even know you anymore." Chad shook his head. "And what the hell is all the literacy art about? Of course Dennis the Menace is part of literacy art – he's a _cartoon_ for god's sake! You can't get anymore arty if you tried."

Zeke shook his head slowly. "Troy, you're whipped. Chad… you're weird."

Chad just shook his head vigorously. "There's no question about it. Taylor won't agree with me but she knows its true deep down. Dennis has _way_ cooler clothes, _way_ cooler hair, he can do _the_ most awesome pranks and he has an ace dog called Gnasher instead of some weird alien called Gollum following him around."

"Dude, you can't even put them in the same league." Zeke argued. "Dennis is a comic and Frodo is a hobbit. How much more different do you wanna get?"

"My point, _Baylor_, is that if you want to take up a boring hobby like reading then at least read something that's fun. Comics are fun. Books are…"

"Bits of paper moulded together with words?" Troy offered with a small smile.

"Yes!" Chad exclaimed. "_Now_ you get it!"

Troy wanted to laugh out loud; in all the years he had known Chad Danforth he'd never gotten tired of his random rants about his outlook on the world. There were a lot of things Chad didn't understand; women being the main one. And maybe Taylor McKessie wasn't the right girl to be with in that instance but somehow, Troy found, they fitted together perfectly.

"Dude, dude, dude!" Jason elbowed Troy a little harder than intended and pointed to the distance. "West High alert! West High alert!" Sure enough, when Troy, Chad and Zeke followed Jason's gaze they saw three members of the West High basketball team standing near the hotdog stand; captain Sean Kinley wearing his jersey proudly. They hadn't yet noticed the Wildcats, and for that they were grateful. Whenever the two teams into close proximity with each other, there was sure to be some sort of Wildcats-Knights showdown. "Dude!" Jason exclaimed again when the Knights turned and walked towards the bookstore where Gabriella and Taylor were more than likely burying their noses in various books. "What are we going to do?"

"Nothing?" Troy offered again, raising his eyebrows. "They've gone into a bookstore; not declared war."

"Our chicks are in there." Chad pointed over his shoulder with his thumb.

"And?"

"They're not only your chicks… they're your Wildcat companions." Zeke protested Troy's nonchalant expression. "You must protect them from the Knights!"

"Kinley doesn't even know who Gabi and Taylor are."

"He'll see them. He'll hit on them."

"Oh, please." Troy tried to shrug it off, but Zeke's last comment had made Chad widen his eyes in shock.

"We must save our damsels!"

"From what?!"

"An evil Knight." Jason cut in. "Aren't you worried Kinley will hit on Gabriella? Aren't you worried she'll fall hopelessly into his arms and kiss him? Aren't you worried she'll fall madly in love and they'll start a whole new controversial relationship and then eventually get married and have a baby that's half Wildcat half Knight? Aren't you worried she'll-"

"I beg you to stop." Troy held a hand up. "How do you even get dressed in the morning by yourself?"

Jason shrugged nonchalantly. "It's your relationship, Bolton. Screw it up if you like."

Chad waved his hands frantically. "Whatever. Dudes, I'm going in." When the bushy-haired male jogged towards the store, quickly followed by a curious Jason, Troy and Zeke looked at each other groaned before beginning their own descent.

"Dude, is Jason actually humming the Mission: Impossible theme?" Zeke shook his head in annoyance as they finally entered the decidedly very dull and very boring store. Not a Dennis the Menace in sight.

"Cross, _shut up_!" Chad hissed, bending down behind a book shelf and gesturing for his friends to do the same. "Okay, mission is…we detect where scum-bag Knights are situated; we then scan the horizon for our damsels and then we save them from certain scum-bag Knight…death."

Troy rolled his eyes dramatically; wondering just why he'd chosen to follow his clearly very insane friends into a bookstore. "You know, Chad; your plans cripple me." He commented with a sarcastic snare. "I can just see Tom Cruise signing up for this movie."

Chad furrowed his eyes together and glared at him. "What if he gets Gabriella?"

"Are you kidding? When she's reading, _no-one_ can get to her. Last time I interrupted her reading, I nearly ended up six feet under!"

"But this is an _evil_ Knight we're dealing with." Jason was clearly seeing the adventure in this pointless situation.

"This is _not_ an action movie! We're in a bookstore!"

Chad ignored Troy's incessant moaning and put a finger to his lips to gesture them all to be quiet. "I see a Knight." He whispered, ignoring a worker giving them all strange looks. Troy, Jason and Zeke looked over to the opposite side of the store where Sean Kinley was standing with two of his friends looking extremely bored. "What the hell is he doing in a bookstore?"

"What the hell are _we_ doing in a bookstore?" Troy hissed back.

"Saving our ladies." Chad responded. "Here's to 'Mission: Impossible: This'a Time'a it's a Personal.' Right." He looked at the shelves they were standing between as Troy slapped a hand over his forehead in mock surrender. "We're currently in the travel section. And Taylor and Gabriella will be – most likely – in the fiction section; romance to be precise."

"Gabriella likes fantasy." Troy put in quietly.

Chad winked with a grin. "What you guys do in your own time…"

"Fucking shut up, Danforth."

Jason cupped his hand around his ear and gestured for Troy and Chad to be quiet. "I hear Gabriella laughing…"

"This'a way, my chums." Chad ducked low and started running quickly from the knees down; weaving in and out of shelves towards the on-going sound of Gabriella giggling at something or other. Jason began to hum that infamous theme tune again and it was clear from Chad's facial expression that he was enjoying this new found masculinity he had inside. When he suddenly stopped and Jason, Zeke and Troy nearly collided into him, he put his fingers to his grinning mouth and pointed through a gap in the shelf where Gabriella and Taylor's faces could just be made out in between the books. Chad opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Taylor giggling frantically.

"Oh my god, Gabs; that's adorable!"

"I know!" Gabriella giggled again, flicking through another book with an obvious blush on her cheeks. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."

Taylor waved the comment off. "Ah, forget it. I know what you and Troy are like and I kinda expected you guys not to say anything anyway."

"But you're right. You're my best friend and you did tell me about you and Chad."

Panic raced through Troy Bolton at a great rate of knots. Jason and Zeke leaned closer, pressing their ears against the shelf attempting in some way to hear the girls a lot clearer. Chad didn't look too comfortable; and one look at Troy was enough to determine that he knew the same. They had stumbled in on the dreaded girl talk.

"Did he make the first move?" Taylor's question nearly made Troy trip over his own feet as he tried desperately to telepathically warn Gabriella not to say a word.

"No. I did." Jason and Zeke turned back to Troy with a grin on their faces. "He was so sweet, Tay. And so, so cute. I love it when I make him blush…"

"Aww…" Chad chuckled under his breath, shooting Troy an amused look. When Jason and Zeke made kissy faces, Troy made a mental note to kill them all brutally later on.

"…and then he kissed me. It was like this fire just erupted out of him. I was breathless…"

Chad puckered up his lips and moved his face jokingly closer to Troy's. In response, Troy pushed him away a little violently and mouthed empty threats in his direction.

Taylor giggled at her friend's choice of words. "And come on, is his body "truly scrumptious" from head-to-toe?"

"But of course."

With Gabriella's confident answer, Troy smirked sarcastically to his hysterical friends.

"Was it good?"

Taylor McKessie was going to die a horrible death; Troy made another mental note to invest in chainsaws and sledgehammers and a decent shovel. Chad, Zeke and Jason suddenly stopped their silent laughter and leaned up against the book shelf; careful not to be spotted by the oblivious girls. Curiosity raced through them and they thought they were going to pass out with the suspense. Troy, meanwhile, picked up the nearest book and wondered if there was a quick and painless way to kill himself with it.

"Wonderful…"

He put the book back confidently. His friend's were nodding with small smiles; laughter dancing in their eyes as they put their thumbs up as a sign of congratulations.

"He certainly has some skills with his hands… and I'm not just talking about basketball tricks either…"

Troy froze. Zeke fell on his back in hysterics, biting down on his fist to prevent the laughter from erupting out of him. Chad's eyes widened; his grin now so large it was painful – a sudden urge to say something witty currently taking over his mind. Jason's mouth dropped open, his jaw almost hitting the floor.

"Oh. My. God." Troy blinked, staring at Gabriella between the books; watching as she and Taylor giggled hysterically at her comment, her flushed face matching his own. "Why? _Why?_"

"Girl talk, Bro." Chad lightly punched his bicep, allowing a few chuckles to escape as he did so.

"I knew they did it. I just didn't think they'd… you know… _talk that much about it_."

"Troy Bolton." Jason shook his head slowly and closed his eyes for effect. "So young. So naïve."

"I know, Gabs." Taylor's giggling tone brought Chad quickly out of his hysterics. "Chad can be so sweet as well. I mean, you don't see it normally; but the way he kisses me and holds me when we're alone…"

Troy raised an amused eyebrow in Chad's direction and made a kissy face to start his own revenge. "Aww, how sweet, Danforth."

"I know I have nothing to compare it to, Tay." Troy closed his eyes in defeat as Gabriella continued her torture. "But it was just… so amazing. Like…I know that I'll never want to be with anyone else, or experience it with anyone else. He was so considerate…and sweet… and oh my god, he was so passionate at the same time…"

"You're a woman, Bolton." Jason whispered a little harshly. As Troy opened his mouth to comment, Jason hushed him again. "It's him! It's him! It's Kinley!"

All four guys regained their positions between the books, watching as Sean Kinley slowly made his way towards the two giggling girls. Gabriella and Taylor didn't seem to notice the West High Knight stalk up behind them, a grin plastered on his handsome features. Any West High student would have labelled the two girls insane because, to put it simply, Sean Kinley was gorgeous. A strong build, deep brown eyes and short brown hair – these distinguishing and heart-melting features made every girl who looked at them swoon. Many regarded him as a young Johnny Depp but East High students referred to him as 'Evil Troy'. The similarities between the two captains was undeniable; the skill, the looks, the status. But Sean had a nasty side and for that – thanks mainly to Chad – he had inherited the nickname 'Evil Troy'.

"Afternoon, Ladies."

Troy and Chad wore the same annoyed looks when the West High captain came up behind their girlfriend's and made it completely obvious that he was interested in their chests.

"Hey." Taylor shrugged her shoulders flippantly, picking up another book and scanning her eyes over the cover.

Sean smirked at Taylor's response and leaned against the shelf – nearly blocking Troy's view. "I am so stuck, ladies. I need to buy my Mom a book for her birthday and I'm not quite sure which to get her. I'm more of a 'fantasy' kind of guy, myself. And she loves romance. And I can see that you two quite clearly love romance…"

"They won't buy that bullshit." Chad muttered angrily.

"Really?" Gabriella's tone notched up into friendly-gear. "I love fantasy too! I mean, I love romance but fantasy is my main passion in books. Oh, I can help you with this; you really ought to get her books by…"

"_She's buying this bullshit!" _Troy was flabbergasted as he watched Gabriella hand his arch rival various books that she'd picked off the shelf earlier. "Does she not see the shirt he's wearing?"

"Thanks. " Sean took the books and ran a hand through his hair. "You girls want to come get a drink with me and my friends…?"

"We've got boyfriends." Gabriella was flattered, to be sure. Getting hit on in a bookstore was the last thing she was sure would happen to her.

"Oh, darn it." Sean dramatically punched the air with his fist. "Don't usually see two beautiful girls in a place like this. Thought I'd take a chance."

"Sorry." Gabriella shrugged.

"Ah well. Maybe things will go so horribly wrong in either of your relationships and you'll come and find me."

"Highly unlikely." Taylor commented. "For starters, you're a Knight. We don't associate with Knights."

"Oh, no." Laughter and dismay reached the captain's face and the hidden Wildcats gave each other high-fives. Gabriella let out a shameful "Oh" as she too realised the mistake she'd made. She'd just helped out her boyfriend's number one arch rival. She felt like she'd just betrayed him in some unfathomable way. "You're not Wildcats are you?"

"Darn proud of it." It was subtle attempt for Gabriella Montez to bring back some support to her boyfriend – that maybe it would eliminate the embarrassing act of helping out his rival.

"Oh, no. Ladies, ladies, ladies." Sean shook his head. "And you looked almost perfect. Seriously, you don't want to date a loser from East High."

"A loser who won the State Championships?"

"Oh god. Please don't tell me you're dating basketball players…"

Troy wondered why exactly Chad had chosen that exact moment to come out of hiding and then realised his mind was probably still in the fake mission he had thought up. But he had to admit, the look on Sean Kinley's face when he and Chad stepped behind their respective girlfriends and wrapped protective arms around their waists was indeed priceless.

"Danforth? And Bolton?"

"Kinley." Chad nodded once in his direction. "You missing that trophy yet?"

Sean threw his head back laughing. "I'll be seeing it soon, don't worry. You guys are toast next week."

Troy let out a snigger and Gabriella sensed that this was not going to be going down too well. She saw the hatred that radiated between the two basketball captains and was getting an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach – mainly because she was stood right in the middle of them. Sean directed his eyes to Troy and clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly.

"I heard you've been spotted by the Redhawks."

"You heard right."

"Well I have too." A smug smirk came onto Sean's face as his three other friends noticed them and bounded towards them. "Heading for a scholarship and I'll tell you something, _Bolton_, I don't need my Dad to coach me in order to make sure I get one."

Gabriella instinctively laced her fingers with Troy's as his hand rested on her stomach.

"In fact, I've been invited to play a long side them."

"So have we." Chad put in. "Prepare to have your ass kicked on that court."

"Well I refuse point-blank to play alongside you pieces of scum. I promise you you're not going to make it onto that team."

Troy and Chad exchanged glances and laughed. "Come on, Kinley. What are you going to do about it? Troy's more valuable to them than you are so please tell us what bright idea you have to make them change their minds."

"I promise you it'll happen." His eyes bore into theirs and Gabriella began to feel a little uncomfortable with the situation; especially as three other Knights were standing securely behind Sean, their eyes not straying. She had heard from Taylor about the numerous run-ins that occurred between the two teams and how each run-in was never pleasant.

"Troy…" She nudged him slightly, trying to bring him out of a stare-war with Sean. "Can we go?"

"I thought bookworms are meant to be brainy." Sean scoffed. "Dating Bolton? Not very clever, is it? Still, you and me could still start something, Doll. Could start some sort of controversy. We'd be like Romeo and Juliet…torn between our love and our schools…" As he held his arm up to pinch Gabriella's cheek, Troy roughly pushed it away. Sean laughed. "Somebody is insecure. And somebody should be." Two of Sean's friends noticed the amount of eyes that were watching the exchange and took a hold on his arms; gesturing for him to move away before someone got scared they'd be a fight and call security. "See you at the game, losers." Sean laughed as he reluctantly followed his friends out of the store.

"Jerk." Taylor hissed at his retreating back. "I would've hit him, no worries."

Gabriella slid her own arm around Troy's waist and held her cheek against his shoulder. "I didn't realise it was _him_. I'm sorry."

Troy shook his head and put his other arm around her. "He's scum. Stay away from him, okay? I don't trust him as far as I could throw him." He looked down at his girlfriend and smiled as she nodded her answer. "But onto more important issues, Montez; the subject of girl talk. _We_ need to have serious words…"


	30. Without Protest

**A/N: Hello….**

**Yes, I know; I've posted sod-all since, well, last year ;) **

**But I get distracted easily… buy things like... musicals. **

**And people like… Zac Efron.**

**But, here I am with a new chapter – as boring as it is; just needed a Troyella fluffy-based one before I latch onto the evils of character development and the things that need to happen in order for these characters **_**to**_** develop!**

**Oh, and to answer a question featured in the reviews:**

**No, I won't be featuring a Zekepay-based chapter. Yes, it's been mentioned there's a date but apart from Sharpay and Zeke telling their friends about it, there won't be much detail. As I've said loads of times, this story is about character development; mainly Troy and Gabriella and their relationship. I am looking at developing Chad, Taylor and Sharpay – they will be more subtle but you will notice it ;) I felt that Ryan was developed loads in HSM2; so I'm not going to focus too much on his character. I'll be focusing on the others more instead. **

**Thank you guys for all the wonderful reviews – and to all of you who reviewed my Zanessa one-shot – greatly appreciated and I'm glad you liked it!**

**Hope you enjoy this little beast! ;)**

**Holly xxx**

**THIRTY – Without Protest**

Gabriella let out a long sigh of contentment; snuggling deeper into her boyfriends arms as they lay in bed early that next morning. The past couple of mornings she had been waking up early, finding herself trapped in Troy's arms and enjoying every moment of it but a black cloud hung over her head the instant she realised it was Sunday and in about six hours, her mother would be arriving home from New York.

Lacing her fingers with those of a sleeping Troy, Gabriella bit her lip and let another small sigh escape her. She always missed her Mom when she had to go away on those frequent business trips; but she knew that was something they'd have to pull through together if she didn't want to move away from Albuquerque. At the same time, she felt poignant that this would be the last morning that she would be able to wake up with Troy – she didn't know how long it would be until they could spend the night together again; knowing that the issue wasn't worth bringing up with her Mom for quite some time and she had no idea how the Bolton's would react if asked.

The day before had been an embarrassing affair to say the least. After dodging their friend's constant questions over whether or not they had gone that final step, Gabriella then had had to endure meeting Troy's number one rival in circumstances she wished she could change. The Bolton-Kinley showdowns were common knowledge to both schools and Chad and Taylor had certainly spent a lot of time preaching the details to Gabriella in the hope that she'd 'stick to the status quo' where West High were concerned.

And she'd already majorly flunked it up by helping the guy pick out a decent book.

Troy didn't seem too phased by it – he was more concerned about the conversation he and his three best friends had unintentionally walked into. Embarrassed as she was that Troy had heard her gushing about him, Gabriella had to laugh about the nature of the situation. After they'd left the bookstore, Troy's cheeks continually glowed a bright red and he looked as though he was going to brutally murder Chad after he not-so-subtly pushed Troy into a drugstore towards the condom aisle.

When she felt Troy starting to stir slightly, Gabriella smiled and snuggled deeper into his side; her cheek pressed against his shoulder and her arm curled over his stomach as he moved slowly in his sleep. When his eyelids didn't flutter, Gabriella sat up and hovered her body over his, bracing herself up on her hands either side of his body as she stared down at him with a smile on her face. The sheets fell off her body with her movements but the once-insecure mind didn't bother to return and briefly haunt her.

"Hey…" She softly cooed as he stirred again, blowing gently over his face to try and pry his eyes open. When his eyelids finally started to flutter, Gabriella grinned in a mini celebration of victory and nuzzled his face with her nose. "You waking up at some point today?"

Troy's eyes opened briefly before closing again. "Hmm…" He yawned. "What time is it?"

"Nine."

"Then technically it's still the middle of the night."

"Troy, it so is not." Gabriella rolled her eyes, letting her weight fall back down again over his chest. He grunted slightly at her actions but wasted no time in wrapping his arms around her small frame, pulling the sheets up to cover her back up more.

"It is. And anyway, you know I get cranky if I'm up early."

"Which is why every trip to school in the mornings usually ends up in me getting totally annoyed at you."

"Just because you're a morning person and you're always on the ball; ready and willing to get down to some hardcore studying."

Gabriella grinned and lifted her head up again, propping it up on her elbow as she gazed down at him. "Hey." She tapped his nose playfully. "Aren't you the one who wants me to help you with studying? You said you needed my brains and expertise to help you achieve good grades for finals and if you still want this little favour, you'd better start being nice."

Troy shrugged nonchalantly, running his fingertips slowly up and down her spine. "I can do nice. I can do very nice. You on the other hand…" he shot his girlfriend a mocking glare.

"Me?" Gabriella put on her best innocent face, though not entirely sure where Troy was heading with the conversation.

"Yes, you." He looked at her pointedly. "You with your _evil_ gossiping and your _evil _discussions about girly things and such." He paused when Gabriella rolled her eyes with a knowing smirk. "_You_ with your _evil_ girly talk that is surely going to haunt me until the day I die."

"I never said anything bad." She shrugged her shoulders slowly.

"That's not the point, Gabi. The point is that not only does Taylor McKessie know about my, er, _moves_ – which is a bad thing on its own – but now my four best friends also have detailed descriptions and I'm guessing that right at this moment they're telling the rest of the team. And my Dad." He paused again, his eyes widening at the thought. "Oh my God; they're gonna tell my _Dad_."

Gabriella chuckled. "They're not gonna tell your Dad."

"Excuse me?" Troy blinked; clearly not taking in her words. "Do you not know how quick the gossip mill runs at East High? Dad'll find out one way or another – there's always some stupid member of the second string team who's not very bright because they haven't made the connection that me and Dad are related. Like, even if that person _hears_ me referring to him as my Dad, he _still_ won't get it. And then he'll hear about my moves and my 'scrumptious body' and he'll start talking about it with the rest of the second string team… and then Dad will stop them and tell them off for talking during practise and then he'll ask them just what they were talking about and then that stupid person will blurt out _everything_ and my Dad will freak and be totally grossed out. And I'll never be able to look him in the eye again." Troy paused again, ignoring Gabriella's amused expression. "And _then_ he'll go home and tell Mom. Ew, he's gonna tell Mom…"

"Troy-"

"And then she'll sit me down and be all awkward because she thinks that _now_ is the time to tell me all about the birds and the bees. Which is downright wrong and gross because hell, I already know. And she'll _know_ that I know. And then she'll start laying into me about responsibility and protection and telling me all about a woman's needs. Oh my God, what if she sits us both down _together_ and by the end of the torturous lecture, we're so embarrassed that we can't even _look_ at each other and then we become this couple who never have sex and keep a lot of cats?"

"You worry about things too much, Bolton." Gabriella sighed, running her fingers slowly up his jawline to coax him to look at her. "No-one is _that_ stupid that they're going to tell your Dad. Everyone on campus wants to be your friend. I highly doubt they're going to spread rumours about you."

"Gabi. They're not rumours, remember? And _you_ started it!"

"I was cornered, okay?" She replied exasperated. "It was like I had no control over the situation. Taylor told me all about her first time with Chad and I felt bad because she was upset that I wouldn't tell her about me and you. I mean, it's only fair, right?"

"Only fair? Oh, sure. It's only fair. Everyone wins then."

"But I never said anything bad! And in all fairness, you shouldn't have been eavesdropping!"

"I wasn't! We were protecting you!"

"From what? An evil human-killing book?"

"No." Troy took one of her curls between his fingers and started playing with it absentmindedly. "Kinley."

Gabriella raised an eyebrow. "Taylor and I can handle ourselves, you know?"

"I know and I said that! But Chad wouldn't listen. He was too busy playing Tom Cruise. He was loving every second – even more so when he heard you telling Taylor _everything _about us."

"Wildcat, I'm sorry, okay? In my defence, I had no idea that you guys were playing… Tom Cruise… and if I had known you were there, I wouldn't have said a word. Honest." Troy smiled softly at her, twirling the lone curl around his index and middle finger; his attention solely on her hair. "I thought I was telling Taylor privately. And I'd only tell her in private."

Troy's eyes averted back to Gabriella's. "Woah, woah." He stopped her. "Why does Taylor even have to know in the first place?"

"She's my best friend."

"And Chad is my best friend but I don't start describing parts of your body to him – as much as he'd like to know. And I don't start talking techniques and moves. There're just some things that one dude should never say to another dude. Sure, we may say that we got lucky…" He chuckled with a wince when Gabriella playfully hit his shoulder. "But we don't go into details like girls do. It's wrong!"

"Troy, it's about having a friend that you can trust; that you can say anything to."

"Does it have to be about my _moves_?"

Gabriella grinned in spite of herself. "Well, yeah, it does. Girls tell each other everything; I thought Taylor already explained that to you. It's nice, you know? I've never had a close friend before that I could talk to like that. And I've never had a serious boyfriend that I can talk and boast about before…" She ran a hand affectionately through his hair but Troy just narrowed his eyes.

"Don't start with the sad act, Montez. It's not gonna work! Nothing you can say will convince me that girl talk is a good thing. It's evil and mean and you should totally be ashamed! _Why_ do you guys even have to do it in the first place?"

Gabriella smiled and slowly moved her head back down to rest in the crook of his neck. Her right hand curled around the side of his neck and she shivered with a small sigh when Troy's fingertips ran slowly up and down her arm. "Because, Troy; if we don't talk to each other about men, we die."

Troy let out an amused huff, a smile breaking out on his features as he held her giggling body that little bit tighter. "Well in that case, I shouldn't really moan about it. Can't afford to let you die now, can I? I need your help with the studying." He laughed again when Gabriella hit him harder. They lay in silence for a few moments; Troy placed soft kisses on her head every few seconds as all thoughts of sleeping and rest left him. "What time is your Mom home?"

Gabriella shuffled slightly in his arms; her contented eyes opening with the change of subject. "Around four. Why?" She felt Troy shrug.

"Do you think she'll totally flip out when she sees your cheek?"

It was Gabriella's turn to shrug. "Maybe. And she'll properly threaten to ring up Principal Matsui and Jess' Mom. But I'm sure I'll calm her before she sets off World War Three. Anyway, we've got that meeting with Principal Matsui tomorrow about what happened at the dance – should be fun."

"Extremely." Troy kissed her head again. "Can't wait to hear Darbus' screeching when she recaps the events."

"And Jess' revised telling of the story – obviously along the lines of me starting it all by corrupting you and 'stealing you from her'."

Troy smiled against her temple. "Well to be honest, Montez, I quite enjoyed the whole stealing process and especially enjoyed the corrupting part too."

Gabriella lifted her head again so she could see Troy's face. "This bed is going to feel so empty tonight." She gave off a disappointed sigh and Troy lifted his hand to touch her face gently, his own wounded look mirroring her own. "I don't know how long it's going to be until we can spend a night together again."

"We'll figure something out." His fingers traced her lips and jawline. "I mean, the parental units might freak out a bit but they'll get over it. After they give us the embarrassing lectures, that is."

"Hey." Gabriella smirked. "I've already had mine, remember? You're having yours on your own."

"Is it painful?" He gave her a lop-sided grin.

Gabriella nodded and placed a small kiss on his nose. "Very. But you'll get over it."

"We'll work something out." Troy said again after a long pause. "Until then, I'll arrange for Mr. Moo to move in here for a little while to keep you company." He winked when she laughed at him.

"Sounds good. But right now, I need to shower – I stink." When Gabriella attempted to slide out of Troy's arms, he tightened the embrace and held her closer to his body. "Troy; come on, I can't stay in here all day."

"Sure you can." He answered nonchalantly. "You said yourself, we don't know how long it's gonna be before we can spend another night together. So we should take full advantage of what time we have left."

"Ugh, Troy." Gabriella groaned, trying to shuffle herself from his arms. "How do you propose we take full advantage of lying in a stinky bed all day?" Troy smiled and curled his arms around her waist before flipping her over onto her back and latching himself onto her neck. "Oh." She replied with a grin as he kissed her tenderly. "I see." Gabriella wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers running through his hair as he loved her with his lips; making sure to hit every part of exposed skin.

As Troy placed a kiss beneath her ear, Gabriella giggled softly, causing him to smile against her skin. "Gabi… you're going to be telling Taylor about this, aren't you?"

"Sure am."

Troy pulled an unimpressed expression, but dropped his lips down hers anyway. "Does she have to know details?"

"She has to know details."

"Because otherwise she'll die, right?"

Gabriella nodded with a grin and pulled his face back down to hers; their lips a whisper from each other. "Just kiss me, Bolton."

It was a demand he was happy to fulfil without protest.


	31. Imminent Doom

A/N: Word up, Peeps

**A/N: I know. I know. I KNOW!**

**Okay, so my spark for this fic hasn't fully returned; let me warn you. But it's slowly getting there and it's taken months to write out this heap of crap but I guess it's better than nothing. This chapter is just a filler so it isn't exciting and I haven't put every ounce of my muse into it since I'm recovering for writer's block with it so please bear with me. **

**Thanks to everyone for being so patient with me these last few months where this fic is concerned. Like I said, I don't intend on ignoring it or just leaving it. I fully intend to finish it but you'll have to bear with me with updates. "I Feel Sparks" and "Live and Let Spy" are my official baby's right now.**

**Cheers, guys. Here ya go!**

**Mwah! Holly xxx**

**THIRTY-ONE – Imminent Doom **

Gabriella was feeling apprehensive about the impending meeting that next morning – not because she was worried she'd get into a lot of trouble involving three weeks worth of detention slips. Troy had already managed to tarnish her perfect academic record on her first day at East High when he'd called her cell in the middle of homeroom and landed them both in detention. And on days when he chose not to wake up when his alarm went off, Gabriella's perfect punctuality record had also been effectively ruined. He liked to tease her about it; making comments like he'd taken the sweet, innocent, academic and brainiac Gabriella Montez and turned her over to the dark side.

Gabriella just knew that Jess was never going to let this lie. No matter what Principal Matsui threatened he'd do if something similar happened again, she knew it wouldn't end. On a brighter note, they were in their senior year and in a matter of months, they'd graduate and she'd never have to see Jess again and she and Troy could carry on as they were.

As Troy pulled up in his usual parking space at East High, Gabriella shot him a small smile and he winked in response. "Come on, Montez." He squeezed their joined hands gently and turned off the ignition. "Let's go to our imminent doom."

Both stepped out of the car and joined hands again as they headed to the main entrance of the school. They were greeted almost instantly by Taylor, Chad, Zeke and Jason, whose bus had arrived only seconds prior.

"Dude, when are you going to see Matsui?" Chad grimaced as he spoke and Troy shrugged.

"I guess as soon as Darbus screeches at us. And I don't mean about the chapel of the arts either."

The corridors were crowded with flocks of students heading towards their lockers and the few students who felt it necessary to get to school an hour early to show off their eagerness. Gabriella strode confidently beside her boyfriend for the first time; not worrying what passing students were thinking about her as they glared at her walking beside who was considered the 'hottie super-bomb' of East High. What had happened on the previous Friday evening had only boosted Gabriella's confidence levels to an all-new high; Jess' actions not even entering her mind as she felt new feelings of being 'grown-up'; becoming a woman… It was a silly thought and a part of her mind knew it was a silly thought – after what had happened between her and Troy, she felt poise, blissful… all innocence seeming to leave her once and for all. She vaguely remembered one point in her life thinking she'd never lose her virginity and if she ever did, it would all be in a desperate act with a guy who would have most surely been beaten with an ugly stick.

Troy stopped next to Gabriella's locker and briefly waved off his friends, who headed to their own, informing them he'd see them in homeroom. Gabriella turned to her locker and was about to open it until she heard Ryan's voice almost booming down the corridor.

Troy looked up upon hearing it as well, instinctively standing closer to his girlfriend as Ryan approached them breathlessly. "Guys." He acknowledged them, pulling his bag further up on his shoulder securely. "Have you seen Sharpay?"

Troy shook his head with a small shrug. "No." Gabriella responded, closing her locker again. "Should we have?"

"Darbus wants to see us in Matsui's office. Like now. And Shar's been freaking all weekend – so have the rest of us, to be honest. It's like she's had a personality transplant. I'm still not over her hitting Jess – for you, anyway. No offence." He smiled softly at Gabriella who waved it off.

"Hey, it was a bigger shock to me." She smiled half-heartedly, looking from Ryan to Troy who had considerably gone quiet. "Should we head to the office again?" Troy slipped his arm around her waist and gave feeble nod and the three of them turned into the direction of the Principal's office.

"Oh, here." Ryan reached into his bag as they subtly barged through groups of students who thought it would be a good idea to stop and chat in the middle of the corridor. "Here's the script. Finalized." He winked when Gabriella took a hold of it excitedly and let go of Troy's waist to thumb through it as she walked. "It's kinda a cheese-fest but what school musical isn't?" When Ryan shot a smile in Troy's direction, he barely responded with an expression you'd associate with excitement.

Gabriella's grin widened. "Oh my God, Ry; this is like…brilliant!" She flicked through the pages at a fast rate, trusting Troy to steer her away from colliding with anyone or anything. "This is even better than 'Twinkle Towne'!"

"Well I suppose it doesn't have any of Darbus' wild dialogue…and weird names like Arnold and Minnie."

"No, it doesn't have that." Gabriella chuckled, not catching Troy's look of disapproval.

The three headed towards Principal Matsui's office; Gabriella continuing to look through Ryan and Kelsi's script whilst Troy and Ryan strolled on either side of her; silence almost deafening. Upon approaching the office, Troy spied Jess, Alicia and Ellie hurled in a tight circle, filing their nails and looking as though they could kill Matsui with a single glare. Ryan started standing up on his tip-toes in the hope of spotting his sister with no such luck.

"Oh, great." Gabriella mumbled as she looked up from her script to see the three girls already glaring at her. Troy's grasp around her waist tightened and he pulled her closer to his side. "Try and be quiet, okay, Troy?" She looked at him quickly as the three of them came to a stop. "I'm sick of them thinking that the only reason I'm surviving here is because of you."

"So I can't defend my girlfriend?"

"Yeah." Ryan interjected. "Just… not during this meeting. We're here for emotional support. Right, Gabs?" He punched her lightly on the arm and Troy narrowed his eyes, trying to keep his emotions at bay. He didn't know what it was about Ryan Evans talking to his girlfriend that got him so worked up. But whatever it was, he didn't like it.

"But… _Ms. Darbus!_" The familiar whining voice of Sharpay Evans tore everyone's gaze in the direction she was looming from. Ms. Darbus, looking as strict as ever, was behind her giving her pushed every now and then to ensure she made it to the office without running off somewhere.

"Miss Evans; you shall attend this meeting or you shall be living in detention until graduation. Do we have an understanding?"

"But you don't need me!" She protested as Ms. Darbus nudged her forward again. "I had some sort of seizure and I lashed out. I have a split-personality. That's all there is to it. I'll apologise to Jess and buy her a pony or something. You don't need me!"

Darbus rolled her eyes ungraciously as she tapped on Matsui's door, leaving Sharpay to fold her arms with a huff. Gabriella looked at her in appreciation; her mouth opening to speak but was quickly cut of by Ryan.

"Hey, Shar. You made it!"

"Kinda."

"Why are you looking so pissed? I thought you'd be happy this was getting sorted."

"I've crossed over to the damn dark Wildcat side, Ryan! Why the fuck would I be happy?!"

"Language, Miss Evans!" Ms. Darbus latched her arms to her hips in one fluid motion and glared at the blonde. "We do not have all day! I need to get my theatre looking in tip-top shape for this impending musical and I wish to get right by noon, are we clear?"

Sharpay folded her arms in a huff and stuck out her bottom lip childishly. "Whatever."

Troy cleared his throat and looked away when Jess shot him a smirk. Ms. Darbus sighed in frustration before knocking on Principal Matsui's office door. It only took a few seconds before Matsui called for them to enter but each student was cut off when Ms. Darbus blocked the entrance. "This is not a spectators sport!" She declared, glaring at each of them. "Ms. Montez, Ms. McLean and Ms. Evans you are to go in."

"But—" Troy interjected as Gabriella loosened her hold on him. "What about--?"

Ms. Darbus waved him off in frustration. "You two." She pointed to Alicia and Ellie. "Go in. Mr. Evans, you too."

"What?!" Troy declared as Ryan shot him an apologetic glance and stood beside Gabriella. "How is Ryan allowed in and I'm not? I'm her boyfriend!"

"A beautiful and moving story, Mr. Bolton, but we haven't got time for this drama. Mr. Evans was the first to see the girls after the alleged scene took place and he is needed."

"But I'm…" Troy drifted off as Gabriella reached forward and squeezed his hand.

"It'll be okay." She smiled. "Get to class. I'll see you later on, okay?"

Ms. Darbus rolled her eyes and pushed open the Principal's door, pushing Jess, Ellie, Alicia and Sharpay inside before following. Ryan reached forward and took a hold of Gabriella's other hand, pulling on it softly. "Hey, Babs, better get inside." Troy's eyes narrowed at Ryan's actions. "I'll look after her, Troy. It'll be fine."

Troy said nothing. He watched as Gabriella smiled at him one more time before allowing herself to be dragged by Ryan into Matsui's office. As the door closed quietly behind them, Troy clenched his fist angrily and hit the wall before leaning against it tiredly. He was annoyed, frustrated, infuriated beyond belief. If anyone had a right to be in that office supporting Gabriella, it was him, not Ryan Evans.

His heart rate increasing at a dangerous pace, Troy pushed himself off the wall and at the sound of the bell, he walked sulkily towards his locker.

--

Gabriella allowed herself to let out the breath she hadn't been aware she had been holding as she was finally released from Principal Matsui's office. Jess was given two weeks worth of detention and a warning of suspension if such an event were ever to take place again. Gabriella had sat quietly throughout the entire meeting; not daring to look up at the blonde cheerleader who she knew had been shooting her dagger glares throughout the session. When Matsui had asked her to explain what had happened at the dance, she had spoken in a tone so timid and quiet, the Principal had to repeatedly ask her speak up. It was only Ryan who had spent the majority of the time squeezing her hand in encouragement that had motivated her to carry on.

"You okay, Babs?" He smiled softly at her as they stood in the corridor. Gabriella smiled and nodded her head quickly.

"Yeah. Glad it's over and done with. At least I can go home and tell my Mom she can stop freaking out now."

"That's okay for you." Ryan huffed with a chuckle. "Sharpay's got a week's worth of detention for defending you. Not only are my parents going to freak, but she's going to be a complete nightmare for at least the next six months."

"Yeah." Gabriella breathed out a sigh as Sharpay stormed out of Matsui's office in a huff. She glared at her brother and sworn enemy before stomping down the opposite corridor; her silver heels clanking loudly on the hard floor. "I gotta go speak to her, Ry. I have to."

"Woah, woah." Ryan latched onto his friend's arm. "Do you have a death wish? Seriously, I'll be staying away from her for at least forty-eight hours. I think you'll have to wait at least a year."

Gabriella shook her head stubbornly and shot Ryan a smile in response. "I don't care, Ry. Whatever she's done in the past, if it wasn't for her I'm sure Jess would have done a hell of a lot more – so much that maybe she would have succeeded in me and Troy breaking up. I'm going to talk to her."

"Your life, I suppose." Ryan shrugged his shoulders before hugging her tightly. "I'll see you later, Babs. If you survive, that is."

Gabriella rolled her eyes before turning on her heel and running down the corridor in the same direction that Sharpay had gone in. Her mary jane's clicked lightly on the floor as she sped up a little, catching a glimpse of pink and sparkle in the distance.

Sharpay was throwing her books mercilessly into her locker; all the while checking her features in the mirror she'd installed on the inside of the door. When she saw Gabriella's reflection instead of her own, she rolled her eyes in annoyance and pretended to be more involved with sorting through the numerous clothes she stored in there.

"What do you want?" She asked shortly, refusing to turn around.

"To talk." Gabriella sighed softly, placing her book bag on the floor beside her. "Sharpay…I know you're angry and I don't blame you. But I have to—"

"Have to what?" Sharpay interrupted. "Find something else in this school to take over? Bewitch another student into acting completely retarded and out of character because, hey, that's your speciality, right?"

"What?" Gabriella frowned, continuing to stare at Sharpay's reflection in an attempt to catch her gaze. "What are you talking about?"

With that question, Sharpay whipped her head around, her face up close to the brunette who stepped back with the shock, her eyes wide. "Of course you know what I'm fucking talking about! You know, I don't even like Jess McLean or _any _of the brainless cheerleaders. And yeah, maybe some part of me is fucking doing cartwheels because I actually grabbed the nerve to whack her across the face but another part is wondering what the fuck I was thinking! I defended _you_. _You! _And the worst thing about that? Jess was right in what she said to you! She's right to fucking hate you and torment you and yet there I was, personality transplant and all, and I hit _her_! And the only person in this damn school I wanted to hit more than her was _you_!" Sharpay stepped back again and watched as Gabriella absorbed her words. "You're the genius. How do you work that one out?"

Gabriella swallowed. "Well, uh, I guess… I guess you thought she was wrong after all?"

"Wrong about what? Do you have _any idea _what you've done to this school?"

Gabriella shook her head slowly; her eyes still wide as Sharpay's hazel orbs bore into hers. "No, I just thought-"

"Here's what you did." Sharpay smiled thinly and folded her arms. "You waltzed in after Christmas break and every damn thing you did since walking through those doors was piss me off."

"…Okay."

"No, not okay. You _stole_ my play. You _stole_ my status. You _stole _my talent show. Heck, you even got those claws in and _stole _my brother! And I think I speak for the vast majority of East High when I say you _stole _Troy!"

"Sharpay, I didn't! I didn't steal anyone!"

"But you did! You waltzed into this school like Little Miss Perfect. You're a goddamn nerd, Gabriella! You should be sitting at the table in the cafeteria where all the other nerds and musing over damn theories and math and other nerdy stuff! You shouldn't be sitting on the jock table on Troy Bolton's lap!"

"Why shouldn't I?" A burst of confidence seemed to come from nowhere and Sharpay was taken aback as Gabriella's posture straightened and her eyes burned through hers. "Just because I'm smart I'm not entitled to be with someone like him?"

"It's just the way it's always been." Sharpay gritted her teeth. "Troy Bolton is the most popular guy at this school. He's the basketball captain and he's going to make something of himself through that sport one day. He's going to be named Prom King at the end of year; every student and damn member of the faculty know that. Someone with his status should be with a girl of equal status. A cheerleader; better still, the cheerleading captain. Jess may be a stupid bitch who deserves a good punch now and then but you can't deny that they make sense."

"If they made sense, he'd still be with her. They broke up; he's never liked her in that way."

"Exactly!" Sharpay swung her arms in the air dramatically. "And why is that, huh? I've known Troy since kindergarten and literally since that age he's had some sort of power of girls without even knowing it. How is it that all these girls having been throwing themselves at him for years and he's not acted upon any of them? He should come with a long lie of ex girlfriends. All of which would have some status at school; a sense of coolness and dominance. Up until _you _he'd never had a serious girlfriend. He'd be at parties and girls would be throwing themselves at him and he'd just ignore it. What's so goddamn special about you?!"

Gabriella opened her mouth to speak but found she couldn't find the right words. "I…" She cast her eyes away from an impatient Sharpay, who had now taken to tapping her foot irritably on the floor. "I don't know… You think that I think I'm some sort of goddess?"

"He looks at you like you're one!"

"And that's my fault? Sharpay, I don't know why Troy feels anything for me and I never asked him to! I met him in Colorado and I wasn't supposed to see him again. It just happened! Like…like 'Twinkle Towne'. We didn't audition – Darbus just heard it and it just happened! It was just something for us to do – something that didn't involve Troy being looked at as a basketball guy and me as some…geek. It just happened, Sharpay. We didn't set out to steal anything."

"But you did! And that's the point! 'Twinkle Towne' was just some stupid play you two 'auditioned' for. But to me it was another play for me to showcase myself. It's pretty darn obvious that I want to perform for a living and I love the stage! For you guys it's all about having fun with friends but for me it's the actual performance. And you _stole _it. You made me a freaking understudy!"

"Sharpay, I-"

"And then at Lava Springs, you stole my talent show!"

"You were trying to steal my boyfriend, Sharpay! You did everything in your power to break us up and get him to sing with you and you nearly succeeded. I had no intentions of stealing anything. I never had any intentions on going back there to sing with Troy until Taylor showed up. It wasn't my plan; that was all Ryan."

"And you stole him too! One baseball game and suddenly he's sporting Wildcat colours and Chad Danforth thinks he's cool! He's attached to you like a leech all the time and even has the nerve to cast you and him as leads in the new musical! This is our last year at East High and I know that every musical we have until we graduate is going to have you as female lead and me stuck in the understudy role like some chump."

Seeing her sad face, Gabriella let out a sigh and gingerly put a hand on Sharpay's shoulder; flinching when the blonde brushed her off sharply.

"Look," she sighed. "Look, Sharpay, I'm sorry for anything I did to you. But I never did any of it on purpose. I just thought everyone had moved on with the whole…school status thing…That it doesn't matter anymore."

"No, it doesn't." Sharpay flicked her hair back over her shoulder. "But that doesn't give you the right to take away what's important to other people. Musicals aren't _that _important to you. They're just fun for you. At least Troy knows that and at least he's stepped up and refused to take part. You and Ryan have this cuddly, cosy, nice little partnership going on – hell bent on pushing me aside completely."

"There's nothing going on like that between me and Ryan. And you're still in the play with a decent part. We could always—"

Sharpay held a hand up to silence her before rubbing her temples with her fingertips. "Just… just leave it, Gabriella. Everything I said can't be changed so just leave it."

The two girls stood side by side, glancing to the floor nervously for a few minutes before Gabriella managed to pluck up another bout of courage. "Sharpay," she breathed slowly. "I came to see you because I wanted to say thank you for Friday night. You didn't have to step in but you did. And even with everything you've just told me now… I don't know why you did but I'm grateful that you helped me. I know that you have a date with Zeke and I hope it goes really well and we'd all like to get to know you better. You know, as friends?"

Gabriella watched as Sharpay just nodded meekly before turning back and looking inside her locker.

She had tried.


	32. Making Sense

**A/N: Don't ask where this sudden bout of inspiration came from for this chapter. I have no clue. I was all set to finish my "Star Crossed" chapter and my "Broken" chapter and then all of a sudden… out pops this beast!**

**I have started writing updates on my username profile so y'all know where I'm up to with my writing. At the moment, there's another HDJL in production - eep! - and chapter's in progress for "Broken", "Star Crossed" and "I Feel Sparks". All chapters should be up very soon so keep ya eyes peeled.**

**Until then… here's the proof that my spark is coming back for this fic! Wahey!**

**Holly xxx**

**THIRTY-TWO - Making Sense**

"Something's bothering you." Taylor McKessie was always one to be on the ball. The majority of the time - especially where decathlon competitions were involved - this was always a good thing. The rest of the time, it was plain evil.

Gabriella tapped her pen against her notebook irritably; sensing that Taylor's tone meant she wasn't going to let up on the subject anytime soon. "It's nothing."

"You pissed that Jess didn't get a better punishment?"

Gabriella sighed. "No."

"You want to dump Troy."

"What?" Gabriella looked up shocked. "No!" She seethed, annoyed.

Taylor huffed when she received a death glare from Ms. Falstaff, the librarian, which usually meant 'button it or die'. "Well something's bothering you, Montez. And you know I won't rest until I find out what it is."

"Why is it so important that you know anyway?" Gabriella lowered her voice when she too caught sight of the librarian. "What business is it of yours?"

Taylor held up her hands in defence; shocked that such a sharp tongue could exist on her once quiet friend. "Woah, woah, Gabs," she breathed. "What the hell was that?"

"It's me wishing that every damn person would just stop butting in on my life all the time. Like… the entire school for example. They see me with Troy and all of a sudden it's like everyone thinks they have the right to stick their noses into our business."

Taylor scoffed. "Actually, I think you'll find that happens in every high school around the globe with every single person who attends. Every clique has their hot news and every person wants to know about it. There's no escaping it - and yeah, I'll agree with you; you and Troy being an item is pretty hot news considering he's practically king of the school."

"But I don't want to be hot news. I'm fed up with being hot news."

Taylor's brows furrowed together, unsure of where her friend was leading. "Gabs? Is this about Troy?" A shrug of the petite brunette's shoulders more than confirmed Taylor's suspicions and in an instant, she had gathered up their books and pulled Gabriella away from her chair by her wrist.

"Taylor!" She shrieked a little too loudly. Ms. Falstaff narrowed her eyes dangerously at the two fleeing girls who were disrupting her library again and put a finger to her lips annoyingly. Taylor waved her off nonchalantly; continuing to pull Gabriella into the safety of the empty East High corridor and towards an empty classroom. Breathlessly, Gabriella dumped her shoulder bag on the floor. "What was that all about?"

"Girl talk time." Taylor heaved herself up to sit on a desk. "We're in desperate need of one."

"Tay, honestly, I don't know what to say." Gabriella ran her tired fingers through her curls. "It doesn't even make sense."

"Try me."

"You'll think I'm completely stupid and weird and freaky and--"

"Try me."

Gabriella huffed; she knew she wasn't going to get past Taylor so easily. Dejectedly, she hopped onto the table beside her best friend and swung her legs aimlessly back and forth, trying to find the right way to say how her mind had been spinning uncontrollably all morning. "This morning… I went to speak to Sharpay."

"You have a death wish?"

"I had to say thank you, Taylor. She did stop Jess from doing anything else at the dance -- and she stuck up for me. Whatever you think about her, she didn't have to do that."

Taylor shrugged her shoulders. "So maybe she does have a heart after all. That, or she's realised she does need some actual friends."

Gabriella stared at her swinging shoes. "She said some stuff to me -- guess I deserved it."

"Deserved what?"

Again, Gabriella shrugged. "I don't know. Just what she said made me think about stuff. Like… the musical." Finally, her chocolate orbs turned to face Taylor. "Do you think I should be the lead, Tay? Honestly?"

Confusement was written all over Taylor's features but confidence radiated out from every word. "Well, yeah, Gabs. You can sing, you can dance, you can act. And you and Troy were brilliant in the last one. Why shouldn't you be the lead?"

"It's not about talent; it's about rights."

"You don't think you have a right to be the lead?"

Gabriella shook her head solemnly. "It's Sharpay's thing. She's serious about it and I just want to have fun -- to have some sort of release from being the smart one and the decathlon girl. That doesn't really give me the right to be the lead."

"That's bullshit, Gabriella," Taylor shook her head in disbelief. "It's not about rights at all. Yeah, sure, we're all in it to have fun and yeah, maybe Sharpay is in it for the serious stuff… but that doesn't mean she automatically gets the lead in every single show. Her problem is herself," she spat. "She wants to be lead so she can take over everything. Anyway," a small smile of reassurance appeared on her face as she nudged Gabriella gently. "Ryan and Kelsi wrote this part specifically for you because they know you'll do it justice and you'll give them the results they want for it. I don't know about you but that's some pretty darn clear rights."

"Maybe… but, Tay, Sharpay's really hurt by all this."

Taylor rolled her eyes dramatically. "She's got a secondary part - what more does she want?"

"She wants the lead."

"Well she can sit on this," Taylor held up her middle finger, "and she can swivel on it."

Gabriella had to let out a small laugh at that gesture. "You've been with Chad too long."

"Yeah? And you've been with Troy too long - worrying about stupid things that don't even matter. I hope you told Sharpay to fuck off."

"I didn't say anything - just offered my friendship."

"And?"

"She didn't say anything… and then I left her alone. If she wants to hang with us, Taylor, she can; and I hope you won't make it difficult."

Taylor grinned triumphantly. "You calling me a stubborn cow, Montez? Because you'd be right. If by some miracle that ice princess does want to start acting like a human being and wants to hang with us, she can; but I'm telling you now, if she puts a toe out of place - one, single toe - I'm opening that can of whoop-ass." Gabriella giggled softly at her friend, just imagining that very scenario. "You okay, Gabs? Is that everything that's been on your mind?"

Gabriella just let out another long-drawn out sigh and stared back at her feet. After a short pause, the brunette looked back up and stared at the wall. "Tay, do you think Troy and me make sense?"

"In what way?" Taylor frowned.

"In every way. Like, do you look at us and think, 'oh yeah, they make sense' or do you think, 'oh hell, what are they doing together? They're like chalk and cheese'?"

"Where the hell is this shit coming from?" Taylor sounded angry. "Sharpay?"

"No. Well, yes. Well, not in that sense, no. She said something about the fact that it's wrong for me to be with someone like him and right for him and Jess to be together and… I've just been thinking."

"You listened." Taylor deadpanned. "You listened to that heap of crap? I thought you had brains, woman."

"It's nothing to do with social cliques, Tay. Just in general. For example, he's the basketball captain, right?"

"So, I've heard."

"And I know absolutely zilch about basketball. Zilch. All I know is that there's a ball and a net and you dribble the ball and throw it through the net."

Taylor frowned. "That is all there is to know about basketball, right?"

"I wish." Gabriella twiddled her fingers nervously. "I walked in Troy's bedroom the other day… and he was marking out tactics on this small white board of where he wanted players to be in next weeks game - and writing down various scenarios that West might throw at them and I realised that this sport was more complicated than I thought."

"So?" Taylor was amused. "So ask Troy about it. He'll feel more manly, more useful and have an ego the size of Texas when he's done telling you all about it."

"I guess. But it's other stuff too. I think homework is fun and he calls it the spawn of the devil."

"So?"

"And we always argue when we're going to order a pizza… because he loves garlic and cheese and I hate it and refuse to kiss him after he's eaten it. And he likes to watch all these action-type movies with Chad but when we have a movie night at each other's houses, it's like he only watches the romantic ones because I don't like the action ones - but he says he's okay with it but I'm not always sure. And then there's decathlon meets. I know that kind of stuff doesn't appeal to Troy and I know he'll end up falling asleep at every competition we have. He'll want to be supportive but then he'll just fall asleep anyway. And there's--"

"Woah!" Taylor held her hand up to stop her friend with a laugh. "Seriously, Gabs! Slow down!"

Gabriella breathed deep and tried to clear her head. "Do we make sense, Tay?"

"No, you don't." Taylor ignored the look of shock and upset that radiated on Gabriella's face upon hearing those words. "You make no sense at all in the high school world and it's because of that little fact is exactly why you do make sense."

Gabriella frowned. "Tay, you're not making sense."

"Would you rather know every damn thing about basketball? Would you rather he knew every damn thing about science and math? Would you rather be the same in every way that your relationship is boring because you literally have nothing else to talk about? Come on, Gabs; you look at social cliques and yeah, he and Jess make sense as a couple. He's the varsity basketball captain; she's the head cheerleader… sounds perfect, right? Except a real relationship isn't based on status, is it? It's based on trust and loyalty and just loving being with each other. You and Troy have that, right?"

"Well, yeah, of course we do."

"So why the fuck are we having this retarded conversation? What you and Troy have is real; everyone can see that. You've even gone onto the next level; told each other you love one another… again, Gabs, why are we talking about this?"

All Gabriella could do was shrug her shoulders pathetically. "I guess I just had a moment where I didn't think I was good enough for him."

"Uh huh," Taylor smiled softly, bringing an arm around her best friend's shoulder. "And there he is, thinking he's not good enough for you. You two are seriously fucked up," she chucked. "Just enjoy it, Gabs. It's not about which freaking flavour of pizza you each prefer! It runs much deeper than that and you know it does; you're living it."

Gabriella gave a bashful smile and looked at her friend gratefully. "I'm sorry; don't know what came over me then. Thanks, Tay."

"No problem."

"Can we keep this between us? I really don't want to make an even bigger fool of myself around Troy."

Taylor scoffed with a small laugh and hugged her friend. "Sure. It would only confuse the lunkhead anyway!"

Both girls laughed; unaware of the figure standing at the door.

--

"I am so syked for this game next week. Dude, are you syked?" Chad prodded Troy's shoulder continually. "Dude, hello? Dude… are you syked? Dude!"

"What?!" Troy spun around irritably, throwing his gym bag into his locker.

Chad held up his hands. "Someone's touchy today. Who got your knickers in a twist?"

Troy calmed himself down slightly and turned back to face his locker. "Nobody."

Chad raised his eyebrows but let them fall back into place before Troy turned back to him. If there was one thing Chad Danforth had learned from years of friendship with Troy Bolton, it was to never push him when he was in a bad mood. "So, uh, what happened to Jess then? Did Matsui expell her ass?"

Troy shrugged his shoulders heavily. "How the fuck would I know? Apparently, as the boyfriend, I'm not entitled to support my girlfriend when she needs me to. Apparently though, Ryan Evans is entitled. So if you want gossip, you need to ask him."

Chad blinked and watched as Troy threw his chemistry textbook harshly into the locker. "You haven't seen Gabriella since the meeting then?"

"No."

Chad casually leaned against the lockers beside Troy's, trying to keep the conversation as light as possible. He wasn't as stupid as people made him out to be - he knew that his best friend had major issues with Gabriella's latest friend. He and Ryan hadn't exactly bonded in the same way Chad had with him after summer and the bushy-haired basketball player had noticed the way Troy tensed up whenever Ryan was around. He'd tighten his grip on his girlfriend as if trying to make sure she'd never leave him; as if showing the world that they were a couple - as if the world already didn't have any idea. Chad didn't know what to say to his friend - he knew it was Gabriella's job to reassure her insecure boyfriend and he also knew that if he took up a conversation on the subject, Troy would only push him away and get in a bigger mood.

"Sucks you weren't allowed in," he finally responded. "I mean, you're the reason Jess has a stick up her ass anyway. She's just insanely jealous. Still, I'm sure Gabriella was okay. Ryan's a good friend to her; sure he was fighting your corner."

"Hmm…"

At Troy's short response, Chad sighed and decided to stop on the topic altogether. It was always best to let him stew and realise himself that he was being a dickhead. But this thought was short-lived and Chad winced as he spotted Jess bouncing towards the pair; a small smirk on her face.

"Oh god," Chad groaned as Jess approached them. "What do you want?"

"I got two weeks worth of detention," Jess stated, not in the least sounding sorry. "Painting dressing rooms. Such fun. Still, I guess it's a grand opportunity to get revenge on Evans for sticking her nose into my business."

"She was sticking up for Gabs," Chad squared his shoulders. "As we all would have done in that situation. You were out of order, McLean, so piss off and annoy someone else."

With a dramatic roll of the eyes, Jess stepped forward and in between Chad and Troy, fighting Chad's resistance. Troy just groaned in the back of his throat as the blonde came into his sight and smiled flirtingly at him.

"Can't you take a fucking hint?"

Jess chuckled softly and threw her hair back over her shoulder, hitting Chad square in the face as she did so. "I get it, Troy. You don't have feelings for me, and that's okay."

"Thank fuck for that."

"But I'm still head cheerleader and you're still captain and we've got to work together, right? I'd love it if we could be friends."

"Tempting, but I'm sure I'll cope without you."

Jess rolled her eyes again and laughed at his blatant sarcasm. "Oh, come on, Troy! No hard feelings, right?"

Troy stared at the cheerleader, annoyance still lingering in his eyes. In the back of his mind, he told himself to head straight up to the rooftop after he got rid of her and Chad; needing some time alone. "Jess, you hit my girlfriend. So as for me and you being friends? Thanks but no thanks."

Jess folded her arms tightly against her chest and huffed. "You'll be thanking me for hitting her soon enough. Just wait, Troy, and you'll see what she's like."

"Okay," Chad stepped in, subtly nudging her out of the way. "That's enough poison out of you for one afternoon."

"I'm only trying to help him. I thought you were his best friend - you should care about what I've just heard."

"And what have you just heard?" Chad smirked sarcastically. "Gabriella's pregnant by Johnny Depp? She's really a forty-year-old man disguised as a seventeen-year-old girl? She didn't get an 'A' on her latest test? She's really a 'D' student and she has us all fooled? Oh, come on, Jess, we're dying to hear this."

Troy had to laugh along with his friends; suddenly thankful for his presence. Jess had a face like thunder but stood her ground. When the two boys stopped their laughter, she smiled softly and glared at Troy. "Gabriella's in one of the empty math classrooms with Taylor McKessie. I heard them talking."

"Poor you," Chad continued to joke. "When those two talk about math I just wanna snooze."

"They weren't talking about math. Actually, they were talking about this musical shit she's starring in… and how she's upset Sharpay by taking the lead role off her."

"So?"

"Yeah, so." Jess mimicked. "It sounded as though she was gonna pull out of it - but I guess she's still doing it now. I guess Ryan is counting on her and she just doesn't want to let him down. Anyway, then she started talking about you," she looked at Troy intently. "And she was asking Taylor if she thought you two made sense."

Troy shook her words from his mind, telling himself they were poison and completely not true. "Fuck off, Jess."

"If you don't believe me, ask Taylor. Although, Gabriella made her promise not to tell. But ask Taylor if they were talking in the classroom and she can't deny that. They were talking for ages about your relationship and your girlfriend was doubting every last ounce of it." Jess tried to keep the smirk off her face when Troy unconvincingly shook his head. "She was even talking about how much she hates it when you order garlic and cheese pizza… and about your movie nights when you tell her you don't mind watching the rom-coms, she knows you're lying." It was even harder not to smile when she knew she'd put him on the spot. Details of their relationship no one at school knew about - as insignificant as they were - were her weapon. "She doesn't know if you both make sense. She didn't say she was going to dump you, Troy, but the way she was talking… well, it's definitely not for the long haul."

Chad stared at his best friend then looked at a triumphant Jess. "Back off," he spat to her. "Take your fantasies elsewhere."

Jess glared at him as though he was something she had just trodden on. "Oh yeah? Wehy don't you ask your girlfriend, Danforth? See if she's the loyal bitch she makes herself out to be. She tells you any different, then she's a lying cow. Not half as bad as Montez, but pretty damn close."

Chad opened his mouth to retort in defence of his own girl, but was stopped when Troy slammed his locker shut and headed down the corridor at a fast pace. "Troy!" Chad called out to him but to no avail. Looking back down at the satisfied cheerleader, he looked at er disgustedly. "Do you get off on trying to make people miserable? Keep the fuck away from us all, McLean."

Jess just smirked her response as Chad strode off to try and find his friend.


End file.
